Reflection of Year 2
Yet again I have to reflect upon the past year. Well, finishing the second year was quite a bit more challenging than the first year. A great deal more work and growing up does have a lot of responsibilities. The tasks which we were given and had to complete were one of the issues I faced, and the other was figuring out what I will do in the future.
To be honest, that question is still open and the answer lies somewhere in the future, so on that subject I have nothing to say. But there was also the question of the purpose of universities and what do they teach us. Universities are a big place where you give thousands upon thousands of pounds with the idea that after 3 or more years you will finish and get a piece of paper that says you have a diploma, hoping that it will help you get a better job, because nowadays jobs are something precious, and when you get one, it’s over. Till the rest of his life a person will work to support himself and his family.
Universities are used also to gather lots of different people together, and perhaps that’s the only good aspect to them, but to what expense? Giving thousands of pounds just to hang with some people and teach each other? Hmm that gives me an idea, why not with that amount of money, gather lots of talented people, try working with then under one roof, teach each other and make something that will profit for everyone. Why give so much money to universities when most of the time you see no point to them aside from the diploma.
But let us think of them in a different light, maybe they gather people together away form home so they grow independent, responsible, and actually sit and do their studies. That is good, but I ask why at such a big expense? University fees are growing everywhere. How in the hell can you ask for a student that most of the time he will support his own ass, doesn’t even have the right to have a good job, and then charge him 9000 pounds or more per year for that?
That’s the major question: is there a point to studying in university? Why not just sit on your ass, get tons of books, try getting some people to help, and make a man of yourself. It would certainly be less expensive if you know where to look. But enough on that subject.
What I want to get from university studies? A diploma that will get me a good job. Why? Because the world revolves around money, and you can’t survive without it.
As I said I still have no idea what I want to be, and if I do, that’s personal. But what I want to make of myself is different. As most people, I want to improve and become better, because the other way around is just suicide.
But let’s see what I learned from second year. I am glad that the people around me are nice, and the help they can give is very much appreciated. But there is the fact that everyone stands for himself, especially in these days.
There is also the fact that a company will hire you if you are a work machine, if you can do what they tell you to, make you sit on your ass all day and work. If you are that kind of person and you actually like that, well, the future is bright for you.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Life Changing or Career Building
Life Changing or Career Building
Studying something for three or more years that you can study from your own bedroom and giving thousands of thousand of pounds for it does sound a little bit weird. This raises the question: do I really need to? Why am I doing this? Is it going to be of any use to me? This is a question I can’t answer, because who knows, I have been studying math and chemistry for half of my life and I didn’t need it once to help me with something. So who knows if I need to study this so that one day it can help me?
There is also the thing that a person these days has to know a lot of stuff to make a good future for himself. But why is it like that? I am not talking about life lessons, but knowledge you would have to have in a business area. Wouldn’t it be a lot better to focus on one thing you are good at and keep going at it, become better and better, instead of trying to learn several things at once?
I’ll provide myself as an example. I want to improve my skills in drawing and sculpting, but at the same time I have to learn 3D software like 3Ds Max, Zbrush, Maya, and game engines like Unreal Engine and Cry Engine. If I learn all of them instead of focusing on one thing, would that help me? Let’s say for instance that I attempt to learn all of them combined for two years. At the end, would I be good at all of them or average at all of them? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on one or two things for that time period and become completely fluent with them? But then again, you never know what your employer will want from you. He might be searching for a person with skills on all of those programs, or on the other hand, a person that is very good at drawing. But there are thousand of ideas that came to mind about this. Who knows, somebody else might want to employ you just because you are very talented. It’s never bad to have lots of skill though, if you can keep up with them.
The question yet again comes to mind: why do we need education within an institution? Why, when with a subject such as this, I can obtain all the help I require from internet tutorials, or just people form the industry? Do companies still prefer a person with a fancy diploma and education than one with the same talent, or better, but with no institutional education? Do they think that if we did this sacrifice to study and give lots of money that we would be better workers? Most of those questions I can’t answer because it doesn’t depend on my opinion, and I can’t say how the people within the industry think.
The best idea is to try and improve yourself at everything, but if you enjoy something and you are good at it, keep going until the end, but don’t get full of yourself. Compare to other people, try getting more critique on yourself and your work in order to find out what’s wrong, and fix it. That’s one of the best ways to improve.
Studying something for three or more years that you can study from your own bedroom and giving thousands of thousand of pounds for it does sound a little bit weird. This raises the question: do I really need to? Why am I doing this? Is it going to be of any use to me? This is a question I can’t answer, because who knows, I have been studying math and chemistry for half of my life and I didn’t need it once to help me with something. So who knows if I need to study this so that one day it can help me?
There is also the thing that a person these days has to know a lot of stuff to make a good future for himself. But why is it like that? I am not talking about life lessons, but knowledge you would have to have in a business area. Wouldn’t it be a lot better to focus on one thing you are good at and keep going at it, become better and better, instead of trying to learn several things at once?
I’ll provide myself as an example. I want to improve my skills in drawing and sculpting, but at the same time I have to learn 3D software like 3Ds Max, Zbrush, Maya, and game engines like Unreal Engine and Cry Engine. If I learn all of them instead of focusing on one thing, would that help me? Let’s say for instance that I attempt to learn all of them combined for two years. At the end, would I be good at all of them or average at all of them? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on one or two things for that time period and become completely fluent with them? But then again, you never know what your employer will want from you. He might be searching for a person with skills on all of those programs, or on the other hand, a person that is very good at drawing. But there are thousand of ideas that came to mind about this. Who knows, somebody else might want to employ you just because you are very talented. It’s never bad to have lots of skill though, if you can keep up with them.
The question yet again comes to mind: why do we need education within an institution? Why, when with a subject such as this, I can obtain all the help I require from internet tutorials, or just people form the industry? Do companies still prefer a person with a fancy diploma and education than one with the same talent, or better, but with no institutional education? Do they think that if we did this sacrifice to study and give lots of money that we would be better workers? Most of those questions I can’t answer because it doesn’t depend on my opinion, and I can’t say how the people within the industry think.
The best idea is to try and improve yourself at everything, but if you enjoy something and you are good at it, keep going until the end, but don’t get full of yourself. Compare to other people, try getting more critique on yourself and your work in order to find out what’s wrong, and fix it. That’s one of the best ways to improve.
From Generalist to Specialist
From Generalist to Specialist
As with everything else, the game industry is mainly developed and organized to make money. Everything is about money, and even people that have the love of video games and make something with only the help of their friends, they still have the idea to generate money from that. Like an old saying goes: there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
While you are growing up, the world progressively shows you its ugly side, and it sticks with it until the very end. When you are young and naïve you think that there still is something fun for you to do as work. As for me, I thought the game industry was made out of jelly beans and gumdrops, and working for it is going to be so much fun. But it is in its core an industry, a company, a place with lots of people doing lots of work, and demanding money for it.
But let’s take a look or a guess on what it is built upon. To start from the top, there is the major company producer that gives the money to the company to produce the game. Let’s take for an example the biggest money demanding douchebags –EA Games - that owns companies that own more companies. Lest say EA works with People Can Fly studios and they have to make a new game. Well People Can Fly create and have a vision for that game, but EA wants to make money out of it so the idea is to make it more suitable for more people and make a big commercial out of it. Why not put some horrible dubstep in it, since that’s the mass-produced fad nowadays, and it always works.
But when you look at it, the company isn’t just at one place. They have lots of different branches all around the world just because there is cheap labor all around. Lets take for example India, where you can just pay them 5 dollars a day and they will do the same amount of work as a US company that want 12 dollars per hour. That’s because money everywhere has a different value. As stated prior, the game industry is made out of companies that want money. No wonder everything we buy is made in China – cheap labor, and a large amount of people to do the work.
To be honest, I have no idea what the best way to get to the top spot in a game company is. Perhaps it requires lots of luck. Even if you are good, somebody might want to screw you over so he can have a better spot. Nobody in this world would let you take his place if he is happy with it. For a person to aim to be a great concept artist or art director, a good dose of luck and lots of balls is needed, in order to do what you have to do with success as your only goal.
There isn’t much to say on this subject, a person like myself or you, who want to get in the game industry, should think of himself as a labor donkey. You have to be able to do lots of shitty work all the time and deal with it so one day you might get somewhere, only to do the same thing again, to get a little farther ahead.
As with everything else, the game industry is mainly developed and organized to make money. Everything is about money, and even people that have the love of video games and make something with only the help of their friends, they still have the idea to generate money from that. Like an old saying goes: there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
While you are growing up, the world progressively shows you its ugly side, and it sticks with it until the very end. When you are young and naïve you think that there still is something fun for you to do as work. As for me, I thought the game industry was made out of jelly beans and gumdrops, and working for it is going to be so much fun. But it is in its core an industry, a company, a place with lots of people doing lots of work, and demanding money for it.
But let’s take a look or a guess on what it is built upon. To start from the top, there is the major company producer that gives the money to the company to produce the game. Let’s take for an example the biggest money demanding douchebags –EA Games - that owns companies that own more companies. Lest say EA works with People Can Fly studios and they have to make a new game. Well People Can Fly create and have a vision for that game, but EA wants to make money out of it so the idea is to make it more suitable for more people and make a big commercial out of it. Why not put some horrible dubstep in it, since that’s the mass-produced fad nowadays, and it always works.
But when you look at it, the company isn’t just at one place. They have lots of different branches all around the world just because there is cheap labor all around. Lets take for example India, where you can just pay them 5 dollars a day and they will do the same amount of work as a US company that want 12 dollars per hour. That’s because money everywhere has a different value. As stated prior, the game industry is made out of companies that want money. No wonder everything we buy is made in China – cheap labor, and a large amount of people to do the work.
To be honest, I have no idea what the best way to get to the top spot in a game company is. Perhaps it requires lots of luck. Even if you are good, somebody might want to screw you over so he can have a better spot. Nobody in this world would let you take his place if he is happy with it. For a person to aim to be a great concept artist or art director, a good dose of luck and lots of balls is needed, in order to do what you have to do with success as your only goal.
There isn’t much to say on this subject, a person like myself or you, who want to get in the game industry, should think of himself as a labor donkey. You have to be able to do lots of shitty work all the time and deal with it so one day you might get somewhere, only to do the same thing again, to get a little farther ahead.
Interaction design
Interaction Design
From the very first monster-like machines, with a basic joystick and single button controller built right into the console itself, to the free use your body as a controller, the way in which we interact with a game has changed dramatically. Controllers for a game come in many shapes and forms, from the console’s gamepads, to a computer’s mouse and keyboard, and to the new motion tracking devices. Typically, the most popular form of controller was the gamepad, and it has become compatible for use with computers as well.
With technology constantly growing, the consumer’s needs grow as well. People constantly want more and more potential from the experience of a game and the console they are playing on. On one hand, there are people happy with the controllers they already have, they are used to them, and they serve their purpose and the idea is if it isn’t broken, why fix it? On the other hand, there are the people that want something new, something with which they will fully interact with the game. I am one of the guys who like what they have. It would be nice to see something new, but at times like these, new technology has ridiculous prices, and the fact that you know that thing is designed to break so you can buy a new one, giving the company more money, makes you stick with what you have.
There are all kinds of consoles nowadays. From the very first machine that allowed you to play games, the computer, to absolutely everything now – Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo - they each have so many attachments such as different controllers and what not that it gives the consumer so much to choose from. But as we know, not all of that is to the liking of most people. There is also the fact that companies develop technology like the motion tracking Kinect, claim it is something new and polished, put it on the market and the thing is absolute crap. Or the Nintendo Wii that made lots of sales, but at the cost that the games for it look like they are 20 years old, and you have to swing like a madman to interact with the game.
Prices on consoles are big as well in most countries. Most of the time they are overpriced because when you think about it, a console is just a computer; motherboard, video card, RAM, processor, and an operating system. Basically, that’s all there is to it. The rest of the price is, of course, from other requirements to even play the game. You will want to buy a good TV and a sound system so you can get the most of a game, but is it worth it to spend around 1000 pounds for something you will just waste your time on? Well, I guess that’s a different subject.
As stated prior, companies are putting more and more tracking systems on the market. Examples are the Nintendo Wii, or the PlayStation flashlight-looking tracking controller, to the Xbox Kinect, and the soon to be released WiiU. So the market and the future is aiming for something with interaction, the power to move your body in a room, and to manipulate the character you play which will do the same in the game. But it does look silly, and many are still being developed. They’re out there now, but they are still slow, and you need to have a nice big room with a good TV, and maybe no windows so nobody will look at you doing ninja bullshit. Old-school gamers or people just want to have some fun with a game stick to a computer or a console with a normal gamepad.
Interaction is used also in military and medical uses. From applications such as flight simulators, big machine simulators for military tanks, ships, cranes, and something that is easier to teach yourself on without the need to risk your life. Medical simulators calculate everything that the future doctor might be calculating incorrectly, and giving feedback. But there is the fact that those simulators literally cost millions. They can also be used for cosmonaut training. Still, it’s a lot cheaper to train a cosmonaut in a controlled environment than risking sending him into space untrained.
People do have the ambition to create something new that will immerse the player in the game. For instance, a room filled with motion tracking rollers on the floor and cameras all around you to know every single move you make, so that it will calculated where you shoot or look, and project it on a room filled with screens…but when you think about it, that will cost too much for a normal player to buy and make a whole room especially for that. When you think about it that way, it’s a lot more fun to spend 20 bucks on a simple paintball match.
There is also the 3D aspect of games. More and more games have the setting to display it in 3D so you can see your favorite character slightly different with the cost of getting your eyes damaged. We’ll end that discussion short, because in my opinion, 3D should be burn and be banned forever.
Technology will evolve more and more, someday we might just put a helmet on our heads like those old sci-fi movies and merge into a world we make with our minds. Or you could just go outside and play with your friend, for crying out loud.
From the very first monster-like machines, with a basic joystick and single button controller built right into the console itself, to the free use your body as a controller, the way in which we interact with a game has changed dramatically. Controllers for a game come in many shapes and forms, from the console’s gamepads, to a computer’s mouse and keyboard, and to the new motion tracking devices. Typically, the most popular form of controller was the gamepad, and it has become compatible for use with computers as well.
With technology constantly growing, the consumer’s needs grow as well. People constantly want more and more potential from the experience of a game and the console they are playing on. On one hand, there are people happy with the controllers they already have, they are used to them, and they serve their purpose and the idea is if it isn’t broken, why fix it? On the other hand, there are the people that want something new, something with which they will fully interact with the game. I am one of the guys who like what they have. It would be nice to see something new, but at times like these, new technology has ridiculous prices, and the fact that you know that thing is designed to break so you can buy a new one, giving the company more money, makes you stick with what you have.
There are all kinds of consoles nowadays. From the very first machine that allowed you to play games, the computer, to absolutely everything now – Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo - they each have so many attachments such as different controllers and what not that it gives the consumer so much to choose from. But as we know, not all of that is to the liking of most people. There is also the fact that companies develop technology like the motion tracking Kinect, claim it is something new and polished, put it on the market and the thing is absolute crap. Or the Nintendo Wii that made lots of sales, but at the cost that the games for it look like they are 20 years old, and you have to swing like a madman to interact with the game.
Prices on consoles are big as well in most countries. Most of the time they are overpriced because when you think about it, a console is just a computer; motherboard, video card, RAM, processor, and an operating system. Basically, that’s all there is to it. The rest of the price is, of course, from other requirements to even play the game. You will want to buy a good TV and a sound system so you can get the most of a game, but is it worth it to spend around 1000 pounds for something you will just waste your time on? Well, I guess that’s a different subject.
As stated prior, companies are putting more and more tracking systems on the market. Examples are the Nintendo Wii, or the PlayStation flashlight-looking tracking controller, to the Xbox Kinect, and the soon to be released WiiU. So the market and the future is aiming for something with interaction, the power to move your body in a room, and to manipulate the character you play which will do the same in the game. But it does look silly, and many are still being developed. They’re out there now, but they are still slow, and you need to have a nice big room with a good TV, and maybe no windows so nobody will look at you doing ninja bullshit. Old-school gamers or people just want to have some fun with a game stick to a computer or a console with a normal gamepad.
Interaction is used also in military and medical uses. From applications such as flight simulators, big machine simulators for military tanks, ships, cranes, and something that is easier to teach yourself on without the need to risk your life. Medical simulators calculate everything that the future doctor might be calculating incorrectly, and giving feedback. But there is the fact that those simulators literally cost millions. They can also be used for cosmonaut training. Still, it’s a lot cheaper to train a cosmonaut in a controlled environment than risking sending him into space untrained.
People do have the ambition to create something new that will immerse the player in the game. For instance, a room filled with motion tracking rollers on the floor and cameras all around you to know every single move you make, so that it will calculated where you shoot or look, and project it on a room filled with screens…but when you think about it, that will cost too much for a normal player to buy and make a whole room especially for that. When you think about it that way, it’s a lot more fun to spend 20 bucks on a simple paintball match.
There is also the 3D aspect of games. More and more games have the setting to display it in 3D so you can see your favorite character slightly different with the cost of getting your eyes damaged. We’ll end that discussion short, because in my opinion, 3D should be burn and be banned forever.
Technology will evolve more and more, someday we might just put a helmet on our heads like those old sci-fi movies and merge into a world we make with our minds. Or you could just go outside and play with your friend, for crying out loud.
Level design
Level Design
A good level design is a crucial element for a good game. Level design in its basics is the area you shall play in, explore, and interact with. You need several key elements for a good level; good concepts for it, so the level is interesting for the player’s eyes; intractability, so the player can physically interact or change the level; and enough space for the bad guys.
In the early years, levels were plain and simple, mostly built up from lots of corridors and several rooms, all of which were simply repeated hundreds of times. But that’s a thing of the past now, and with advanced engines which people can freely use, the demand for an interesting level design is high. People do complain when a new game is released, and it is nothing more than a plain box, with no open spaces or anything to really interest the player. Although there is the fact that most of the players don’t even know how the level was constructed and simply use other games as a reference point. Comparison is the favorite thing for every person with low imagination and understanding.
A lot of the times every level has its own coloring theme, sound, and feel. Even if it’s a vast open area, different elements have a different feel to them. Let’s take the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as an example. It was an open world game and it was quite interesting, and at the same time scary to go through old abandoned villages, especially for me because I can relate to lots of those building.
The level must be interactive as well. It can get quite boring if all you have to do is run through the levels without doing anything to it; opening a door, destroying a building, or anything at all. Lately people tried to do exactly that. Take for example the newer Red Faction games. The amount of stuff you can destroy there is insane. The new Battlefield games as well where cover can be built and destroyed quite easily.
The feel of a level is the most important thing for me. For example, while talking of a game with friends, everybody will have their different part, or level of the game which they enjoyed. Let’s take Half-Life 2. Shooting Combine amongst the streets of my home country was fun as hell, but when I got to Ravenholm, it was a totally different story. I hated that level because it scared the crap out of me. The lighting, the sound, the colors, the enemies - everything was there to make you feel unsafe and scared.
We came across the challenge of making a level in this year’s group project. The idea was to make a level based on the Queen’s building and give it a nice horror feel to it. In the beginning, it was quite challenging to lay out some rooms, mainly corridors, and later on realizing when you have too many it just gets too damn boring. For the final level design we did is quite interesting, and at moments you feel that you can put that in a modern game and it would look awesome.
Overall, level design is the world around the player, so it’s of most importance to make it as interesting as possible. Imagine in real life that everything was the same everywhere, and repeated thousands of times. It would look boring, and surreal. Well, you do see it here with the streets filled with the same house over and over…. It just gets confusing and annoying
A good level design is a crucial element for a good game. Level design in its basics is the area you shall play in, explore, and interact with. You need several key elements for a good level; good concepts for it, so the level is interesting for the player’s eyes; intractability, so the player can physically interact or change the level; and enough space for the bad guys.
In the early years, levels were plain and simple, mostly built up from lots of corridors and several rooms, all of which were simply repeated hundreds of times. But that’s a thing of the past now, and with advanced engines which people can freely use, the demand for an interesting level design is high. People do complain when a new game is released, and it is nothing more than a plain box, with no open spaces or anything to really interest the player. Although there is the fact that most of the players don’t even know how the level was constructed and simply use other games as a reference point. Comparison is the favorite thing for every person with low imagination and understanding.
A lot of the times every level has its own coloring theme, sound, and feel. Even if it’s a vast open area, different elements have a different feel to them. Let’s take the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as an example. It was an open world game and it was quite interesting, and at the same time scary to go through old abandoned villages, especially for me because I can relate to lots of those building.
The level must be interactive as well. It can get quite boring if all you have to do is run through the levels without doing anything to it; opening a door, destroying a building, or anything at all. Lately people tried to do exactly that. Take for example the newer Red Faction games. The amount of stuff you can destroy there is insane. The new Battlefield games as well where cover can be built and destroyed quite easily.
The feel of a level is the most important thing for me. For example, while talking of a game with friends, everybody will have their different part, or level of the game which they enjoyed. Let’s take Half-Life 2. Shooting Combine amongst the streets of my home country was fun as hell, but when I got to Ravenholm, it was a totally different story. I hated that level because it scared the crap out of me. The lighting, the sound, the colors, the enemies - everything was there to make you feel unsafe and scared.
We came across the challenge of making a level in this year’s group project. The idea was to make a level based on the Queen’s building and give it a nice horror feel to it. In the beginning, it was quite challenging to lay out some rooms, mainly corridors, and later on realizing when you have too many it just gets too damn boring. For the final level design we did is quite interesting, and at moments you feel that you can put that in a modern game and it would look awesome.
Overall, level design is the world around the player, so it’s of most importance to make it as interesting as possible. Imagine in real life that everything was the same everywhere, and repeated thousands of times. It would look boring, and surreal. Well, you do see it here with the streets filled with the same house over and over…. It just gets confusing and annoying
Game engines
Game Engines
The game engine is the horse that pulls the stacked up carriage. The most widely known and commercial base engines are the Unreal Engine and Cry Engine, but not every company releases their engine for commercial use.
The game engine is the component that combines everything together and makes it work. For lack of a better term, it’s the tool that you use to make a game function. Without it, you may have all the assets, effects, textures, and what not, but without the engine, you’re not going to get anywhere. Engines can be quite tricky as well, depending on how user-friendly they are.
The engine we use and which most people know is the Unreal engine. Its use depends on the user, and as such, some people might like it, or they might absolutely hate it, as every program and game engine has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, it’s only a program, a tool that you put to use, but it can crash for no particular reason, but that’s how computers are.
Each engine has a different feel and look to them. For example, you just know it’s made with Unreal Engine from the soft light and shadows it gives to the game. And the Cry Engine makes everything look real, maybe too real, which just makes the game look too polished and boring.
Nowadays engines are so developed that they can run basically everything with ridiculous amounts of polygons and texture sizes. The potential is there, but to be able to show that to a normal player depends on his machine, and that being case, not every machine can run the package, so you also have to take your consumer into consideration. So companies do have limit on polygons and texture sizes so a personal home machine can run it normally. The thing is, loading in games is the time that it takes for the computer to load the package; the entire level which you will step into. A game that kind of overdid what they accomplished was the Crysis series. When it was released, the graphics were amazing, but it took a heavy toll on personal computers because the requirements for it were quite high. But with time comes newer and better video cards, RAM, and processors. To think that 20 years ago games were nothing more than a basic 8-bit side-scroller or a really plain 3d shooter.
As technology advanced, game engines had been used not only for gaming purposes, but also saw use in the medical field as a visual-aid for studying, or in aviation for flight simulators, as well as for combat simulators.
There is also the difference between the work that a game engine must accomplish between the one used for a single player game and for a massive multiplayer game. The one for the MMO is a lot more complex.
A game engine is self-explanatory just from its name – it is the engine that runs the game, combines all of the elements in one place, and allows them function. With technology advancing rapidly, soon the possibility to play a game that looks like a high budget CG film is ever so close. But for my personal liking there will always be some beauty in crude looking elements of a game.
The game engine is the horse that pulls the stacked up carriage. The most widely known and commercial base engines are the Unreal Engine and Cry Engine, but not every company releases their engine for commercial use.
The game engine is the component that combines everything together and makes it work. For lack of a better term, it’s the tool that you use to make a game function. Without it, you may have all the assets, effects, textures, and what not, but without the engine, you’re not going to get anywhere. Engines can be quite tricky as well, depending on how user-friendly they are.
The engine we use and which most people know is the Unreal engine. Its use depends on the user, and as such, some people might like it, or they might absolutely hate it, as every program and game engine has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, it’s only a program, a tool that you put to use, but it can crash for no particular reason, but that’s how computers are.
Each engine has a different feel and look to them. For example, you just know it’s made with Unreal Engine from the soft light and shadows it gives to the game. And the Cry Engine makes everything look real, maybe too real, which just makes the game look too polished and boring.
Nowadays engines are so developed that they can run basically everything with ridiculous amounts of polygons and texture sizes. The potential is there, but to be able to show that to a normal player depends on his machine, and that being case, not every machine can run the package, so you also have to take your consumer into consideration. So companies do have limit on polygons and texture sizes so a personal home machine can run it normally. The thing is, loading in games is the time that it takes for the computer to load the package; the entire level which you will step into. A game that kind of overdid what they accomplished was the Crysis series. When it was released, the graphics were amazing, but it took a heavy toll on personal computers because the requirements for it were quite high. But with time comes newer and better video cards, RAM, and processors. To think that 20 years ago games were nothing more than a basic 8-bit side-scroller or a really plain 3d shooter.
As technology advanced, game engines had been used not only for gaming purposes, but also saw use in the medical field as a visual-aid for studying, or in aviation for flight simulators, as well as for combat simulators.
There is also the difference between the work that a game engine must accomplish between the one used for a single player game and for a massive multiplayer game. The one for the MMO is a lot more complex.
A game engine is self-explanatory just from its name – it is the engine that runs the game, combines all of the elements in one place, and allows them function. With technology advancing rapidly, soon the possibility to play a game that looks like a high budget CG film is ever so close. But for my personal liking there will always be some beauty in crude looking elements of a game.
Sound for games
Sound
Every time I hear the song from Super Mario or SEGA’s Sonic, I can not escape from the thought that those melodies are the soundtrack not only to my childhood, but to a whole generation of children. The music from those games is so catchy and memorable that it is easy to be separated from it’s real meaning, which is to serve the game. This is why nowadays one of the main goals in the entertaining industry is to create sound tracks and sound effects which will be the new emblem of the next generation in gaming.
Sound forms music, and it can make us cry, has the power to reduce our anger or to make us incredibly happy, or fill us with power or rage. If sound possesses the power to play with our hearts, how much more will be accomplished with it when it is used to tell a story in which the main character reflects the person playing? In my opinion, sound takes a major role in our emotional experience while we are playing a game. Mainly because it is expected to bring an equivalent experience to our ears while we are simultaneously being stimulated visually, otherwise an important part of the soul of the game is lost. The experience and feelings are just not the same. It is like muting a horror movie, or watching Tom and Jerry whiteout the classical music.
Sound is so important in a game that without it you just have lots of assets in a room and characters around you. It is the factor that can make you scared or pump the adrenalin in you preparing you for a big battle. It can guide you as well. It is quite often that when you hear that the music growing more rapid or intense, that a battle is upon the horizon.
The other huge part of sound design in games is the soundtrack, especially if the game is expected to be a blockbuster. The music from movies like Star Wars or Indiana Jones has such a strong impact on your culture that they live a life on their own. For example, every time I hear the Darth Vader intro I do not even think about Star Wars, I just get goosebumps. In the long run, I believe that this effect is the proof that a game will be successful, and leave its mark in the hearts of many.
In conclusion, sound design in the gaming industry serves a function, a function which cannot be compensated by really nice graphics or story. It is the foundation of which the experience of the game is built around.
Every time I hear the song from Super Mario or SEGA’s Sonic, I can not escape from the thought that those melodies are the soundtrack not only to my childhood, but to a whole generation of children. The music from those games is so catchy and memorable that it is easy to be separated from it’s real meaning, which is to serve the game. This is why nowadays one of the main goals in the entertaining industry is to create sound tracks and sound effects which will be the new emblem of the next generation in gaming.
Sound forms music, and it can make us cry, has the power to reduce our anger or to make us incredibly happy, or fill us with power or rage. If sound possesses the power to play with our hearts, how much more will be accomplished with it when it is used to tell a story in which the main character reflects the person playing? In my opinion, sound takes a major role in our emotional experience while we are playing a game. Mainly because it is expected to bring an equivalent experience to our ears while we are simultaneously being stimulated visually, otherwise an important part of the soul of the game is lost. The experience and feelings are just not the same. It is like muting a horror movie, or watching Tom and Jerry whiteout the classical music.
Sound is so important in a game that without it you just have lots of assets in a room and characters around you. It is the factor that can make you scared or pump the adrenalin in you preparing you for a big battle. It can guide you as well. It is quite often that when you hear that the music growing more rapid or intense, that a battle is upon the horizon.
The other huge part of sound design in games is the soundtrack, especially if the game is expected to be a blockbuster. The music from movies like Star Wars or Indiana Jones has such a strong impact on your culture that they live a life on their own. For example, every time I hear the Darth Vader intro I do not even think about Star Wars, I just get goosebumps. In the long run, I believe that this effect is the proof that a game will be successful, and leave its mark in the hearts of many.
In conclusion, sound design in the gaming industry serves a function, a function which cannot be compensated by really nice graphics or story. It is the foundation of which the experience of the game is built around.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Visual composition
Visual composition is a very basic key to making an image seem right. So basic, in fact, that most of the time we don’t realize it – when we look at it or we are creating an image. It’s a deep thought that pops out on the surface when we struggle with some composition.
Teaching ourselves how to draw creates that element in us. Without realizing it, we make something look good, and make all the objects in an image fit together. Then there are factors which make our drawing look bad when we add it, we know it doesn’t belong or fit with the remainder of the image. For an example, some colors don’t compliment each other and therefore they won’t fit in an image.
Composition in an image is basically putting all the components in an image and making them look good together. Let’s make a 1920’s era street scene from scratch. We can draw a nice old coffee house, and why not 2 old Fords in front of it. Then have several people dressed in long jackets, holding batons, of course wearing hats, and behaving suspiciously. Perhaps they are bodyguards of the mobsters that are sitting inside the coffee house. On the other street, a truck stopped by next to an open vegetable and fruit store, with nice oranges on the stands. You might also get the idea that my image was being inspired by the Godfather.
But even with words a person makes this image compositionally correct in his head. When I say it’s the 1920s with men in long coats, you think of faded dark colors, and why not snow? And the oranges, and perhaps the mobsters’ car interior, or their faces or gloves are really bright that lead our eyes right at them knowing, sensing that something might happen involving those colors. Perhaps one of the bodyguards has a blue tie, and the interior of the car is deep red. Suddenly, shots are fired form the coffee house as a guy flees, and the two men in front of the car grab him and protect him, and he jumps into the car. It drives off but another car hurries to catch them, it hits the orange stand because the truck is in the way. The big chase begins, rugged faced men lean out from the windows holding Thompson machine guns, there’s the deafening sound as bullets fly around streets, houses, and people, and impact furiously on the car that’s being chased.
The yellow shirted mobster hides for his life in the getaway vehicle, but it’s no use and they get him right through the head. Saying that, the bodyguard had a blue tie, he is a savior for him, had saved his life at the coffee house and tried to rescue him, but the red interior of the car is foreboding to death, and the yellow shirt of the mobster brings that to his sad end.
That’s why you can’t put stupid elements in that scene, like a romantic couple or a kitty…or something. If you want to make a chase scene, focus on that. Talk is not needed. This reminds me of one of the best chase scenes I’ve seen in a movie. It was Quentin Tarantino’s Death proof. Kurt Russell was a mad killer in an awesome Mustang, and he was chasing these chicks in an even more awesome Dodge Challenger. I just loved it, as it had my favorite cars, and the chase itself was so long and packed, and the camera work was brilliant as well. So many aspects of it fit well together and complimented the final product.
In all, any elements that are to be used in an image, or a game, movie, or even a book for that matter, must be composed correctly so that they fit well together. A lot of thought is put into achieving this, but a great deal of it comes naturally. When everything fits well together, and feels realistic, it will grab the viewer’s attention and hold their interest.
Teaching ourselves how to draw creates that element in us. Without realizing it, we make something look good, and make all the objects in an image fit together. Then there are factors which make our drawing look bad when we add it, we know it doesn’t belong or fit with the remainder of the image. For an example, some colors don’t compliment each other and therefore they won’t fit in an image.
Composition in an image is basically putting all the components in an image and making them look good together. Let’s make a 1920’s era street scene from scratch. We can draw a nice old coffee house, and why not 2 old Fords in front of it. Then have several people dressed in long jackets, holding batons, of course wearing hats, and behaving suspiciously. Perhaps they are bodyguards of the mobsters that are sitting inside the coffee house. On the other street, a truck stopped by next to an open vegetable and fruit store, with nice oranges on the stands. You might also get the idea that my image was being inspired by the Godfather.
But even with words a person makes this image compositionally correct in his head. When I say it’s the 1920s with men in long coats, you think of faded dark colors, and why not snow? And the oranges, and perhaps the mobsters’ car interior, or their faces or gloves are really bright that lead our eyes right at them knowing, sensing that something might happen involving those colors. Perhaps one of the bodyguards has a blue tie, and the interior of the car is deep red. Suddenly, shots are fired form the coffee house as a guy flees, and the two men in front of the car grab him and protect him, and he jumps into the car. It drives off but another car hurries to catch them, it hits the orange stand because the truck is in the way. The big chase begins, rugged faced men lean out from the windows holding Thompson machine guns, there’s the deafening sound as bullets fly around streets, houses, and people, and impact furiously on the car that’s being chased.
The yellow shirted mobster hides for his life in the getaway vehicle, but it’s no use and they get him right through the head. Saying that, the bodyguard had a blue tie, he is a savior for him, had saved his life at the coffee house and tried to rescue him, but the red interior of the car is foreboding to death, and the yellow shirt of the mobster brings that to his sad end.
That’s why you can’t put stupid elements in that scene, like a romantic couple or a kitty…or something. If you want to make a chase scene, focus on that. Talk is not needed. This reminds me of one of the best chase scenes I’ve seen in a movie. It was Quentin Tarantino’s Death proof. Kurt Russell was a mad killer in an awesome Mustang, and he was chasing these chicks in an even more awesome Dodge Challenger. I just loved it, as it had my favorite cars, and the chase itself was so long and packed, and the camera work was brilliant as well. So many aspects of it fit well together and complimented the final product.
In all, any elements that are to be used in an image, or a game, movie, or even a book for that matter, must be composed correctly so that they fit well together. A lot of thought is put into achieving this, but a great deal of it comes naturally. When everything fits well together, and feels realistic, it will grab the viewer’s attention and hold their interest.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sculpting
The most difficult art to master is sculpting. The sheer effort to create something from nothing using your hands and some tools brings enormous joy to the artist, which is why I chose to specialize in sculpting in high school. The most common material I use is plasticine and Super Scupley Firm. I find them to be the most fitting for me and easy to work with. Of course there are other traits to sculpting, such as chiseling, but I have never tried it, although it looks fun but at the same time quite difficult.
I’ve worked with bronze on a couple of occasions, and the product I’m most proud of in sculpting is my bronze dragon which I made in 11th grade. It’s not the best sculpture of all time, it has its areas that could be fixed to make it a better sculpture, but when I look at it I feel good about myself with what I have accomplished.
The most painstaking work in the process of creating a sculpture, for me, is the armature. That’s because right from the beginning you have to figure out what you are making, and in what kind of pose. Certainly you can change it afterwards, but it may destroy some elements, bring more work and effort to the table, and some areas you just can’t move. You always have to have a strong and reliable armature because if it moves, it can destroy your work and drive you mad. A strong armature is a strong sculpture.
The next step in the process is the filling. This depends on what material you are using and what you are going to make. For instance, if you are going to cast it from metal or resin, you need only an armature and lots of plasticine. Or, if you prefer, you can start working directly with wax, but I find working in plasticine first is a lot easier. If you have decided to make a cast out of it, you make the sculpture or model, and after it’s finished you have to cut it up real good, but not before you make a silicone blanket all around the sculpture. It’s good to have a nice strong silicone mold for later on in the process. After that, you have to cut up all the legs, arms, wings, and whatever else is sticking from the sculpture which will not be able to be casted with the body.
After that, each and every part must have a stronger outer shell. I use plaster for that purpose because it’s handy and cheap. You literally make a shell around every piece from 2 parts that you stick one to another. After that you separate them and remove the plasticine from the silicone mold. Next is the wax casting. You can say that this step is quite difficult. You have to pour and pour out wax from the mother mold you just have created to make a good strong wax cast of the limbs. Long story short, after you have done that you connect them all together as it was as the original plastecine sculpt. Then comes the part I’m not involved with which is casting it from bronze or other metals. Casting itself is an art form that takes many trials, errors, and years to master.
After you get the fresh casted metal sculpture from the casting factory, it comes time for oxidizing your work. I cannot really explain how that’s done, as it’s a long process and most of the names for materials I don’t know how to translate. But basically you paint your metal sculpture with acid, a torch, and some other materials.
But enough about metal casting. The much more easy way is just to have some super sculpey. The thing I do is just make it and bake it, easy as that. It’s a polymer clay that can be baked, and afterwards gets hard, although it can fracture quite easily if you don’t have a good armature. As I said before, a strong armature makes a strong sculpture.
Before the winter vacation I was itching to do some sculpting so when I got back that’s what I did first. Sat on my butt or more than 3 days and sculpted a Viking out of sculpey. In the future I will probably continue talking about sculpting
I’ve worked with bronze on a couple of occasions, and the product I’m most proud of in sculpting is my bronze dragon which I made in 11th grade. It’s not the best sculpture of all time, it has its areas that could be fixed to make it a better sculpture, but when I look at it I feel good about myself with what I have accomplished.
The most painstaking work in the process of creating a sculpture, for me, is the armature. That’s because right from the beginning you have to figure out what you are making, and in what kind of pose. Certainly you can change it afterwards, but it may destroy some elements, bring more work and effort to the table, and some areas you just can’t move. You always have to have a strong and reliable armature because if it moves, it can destroy your work and drive you mad. A strong armature is a strong sculpture.
The next step in the process is the filling. This depends on what material you are using and what you are going to make. For instance, if you are going to cast it from metal or resin, you need only an armature and lots of plasticine. Or, if you prefer, you can start working directly with wax, but I find working in plasticine first is a lot easier. If you have decided to make a cast out of it, you make the sculpture or model, and after it’s finished you have to cut it up real good, but not before you make a silicone blanket all around the sculpture. It’s good to have a nice strong silicone mold for later on in the process. After that, you have to cut up all the legs, arms, wings, and whatever else is sticking from the sculpture which will not be able to be casted with the body.
After that, each and every part must have a stronger outer shell. I use plaster for that purpose because it’s handy and cheap. You literally make a shell around every piece from 2 parts that you stick one to another. After that you separate them and remove the plasticine from the silicone mold. Next is the wax casting. You can say that this step is quite difficult. You have to pour and pour out wax from the mother mold you just have created to make a good strong wax cast of the limbs. Long story short, after you have done that you connect them all together as it was as the original plastecine sculpt. Then comes the part I’m not involved with which is casting it from bronze or other metals. Casting itself is an art form that takes many trials, errors, and years to master.
After you get the fresh casted metal sculpture from the casting factory, it comes time for oxidizing your work. I cannot really explain how that’s done, as it’s a long process and most of the names for materials I don’t know how to translate. But basically you paint your metal sculpture with acid, a torch, and some other materials.
But enough about metal casting. The much more easy way is just to have some super sculpey. The thing I do is just make it and bake it, easy as that. It’s a polymer clay that can be baked, and afterwards gets hard, although it can fracture quite easily if you don’t have a good armature. As I said before, a strong armature makes a strong sculpture.
Before the winter vacation I was itching to do some sculpting so when I got back that’s what I did first. Sat on my butt or more than 3 days and sculpted a Viking out of sculpey. In the future I will probably continue talking about sculpting
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Level design
Level design incorporates a wide variety of elements into a final, working product. It is definitely not limited to the appearance of the map, such as from the textures alone, but also involves the underlying architecture that keeps all of those shiny texture maps together. The way that the level is designed visually is important in itself, but the core of the design is the playability and depth.
In modern day games, you can’t just make a nice looking level with great textures, but nothing more; there has to be functionality behind it. It’s like a beautiful girl but without the ability to talk or move; in the end, it’s just a model. A level should have some sort of interaction to it, and there are various ways to do this, no matter how big or small they may seem. Even from the beginning of 3d games there is some level of interaction with the environment. Let’s take DOOM for an example. Its one of the oldest 3d games, yet still the levels have interactible objects like elevators, trap doors, portals and other secrets. There are games like Call of Duty in which level design is all about strategically placed items on the map, so it’s not only a huge sandbox where everybody can spot you and shoot you down. There is minimal interaction with the level in this case.
However, there are games like Portal, where the level itself is the game. Everything is placed effectively, and made to look good without sacrificing functionality. It also managed to use fewer polys, and maintain the texture budget. In the game you have to basically travel through the level with the portals so you can achieve your goal. It’s more based on the love of the characters and the fan-base then on actual interesting gameplay. I’m not saying it’s not fun, but it’s more like an interesting comic for me than a game. In others, like the Half-Life franchise, there are a lot of tasks you must complete to continue your epic journey, like open a secret door or move an object so you can carry on. In others like the Assassins Creed franchise, the level is one of the most interactible imaginable. You can climb, jump on, and hide in almost any building you see. I’m still amazed at the brilliant work they did on how he moves around the level so fluently.
Looking at first person shooter the level is made to be playable in a way that you can, or cannot get a good shot at someone. To me, it’s really not that difficult to do, as all that is done is placing obstacles around the map. However, games such as the Battlefield franchise make the level dynamic, by allowing everything to be destroyed, thus altering gameplay on the fly.
When I think about it we give much love to the levels in games without knowing it. For instance, we love some levels in specific games, and just hate others. Like in Half Life 2, when you are in Ravenholm, I hated it because it scared the crap out of me and I always had no ammo then.
Overall level design is a huge part of the game experience. A game isn’t a game when it consists only of one straight corridor. The textures may be nice, and the character design may be pulled off flawlessly, but simply having enemies pop out at you with no depth to the game is extremely boring. You must immerse the player into a world that will look good and have something interactive and interesting about it.
In modern day games, you can’t just make a nice looking level with great textures, but nothing more; there has to be functionality behind it. It’s like a beautiful girl but without the ability to talk or move; in the end, it’s just a model. A level should have some sort of interaction to it, and there are various ways to do this, no matter how big or small they may seem. Even from the beginning of 3d games there is some level of interaction with the environment. Let’s take DOOM for an example. Its one of the oldest 3d games, yet still the levels have interactible objects like elevators, trap doors, portals and other secrets. There are games like Call of Duty in which level design is all about strategically placed items on the map, so it’s not only a huge sandbox where everybody can spot you and shoot you down. There is minimal interaction with the level in this case.
However, there are games like Portal, where the level itself is the game. Everything is placed effectively, and made to look good without sacrificing functionality. It also managed to use fewer polys, and maintain the texture budget. In the game you have to basically travel through the level with the portals so you can achieve your goal. It’s more based on the love of the characters and the fan-base then on actual interesting gameplay. I’m not saying it’s not fun, but it’s more like an interesting comic for me than a game. In others, like the Half-Life franchise, there are a lot of tasks you must complete to continue your epic journey, like open a secret door or move an object so you can carry on. In others like the Assassins Creed franchise, the level is one of the most interactible imaginable. You can climb, jump on, and hide in almost any building you see. I’m still amazed at the brilliant work they did on how he moves around the level so fluently.
Looking at first person shooter the level is made to be playable in a way that you can, or cannot get a good shot at someone. To me, it’s really not that difficult to do, as all that is done is placing obstacles around the map. However, games such as the Battlefield franchise make the level dynamic, by allowing everything to be destroyed, thus altering gameplay on the fly.
When I think about it we give much love to the levels in games without knowing it. For instance, we love some levels in specific games, and just hate others. Like in Half Life 2, when you are in Ravenholm, I hated it because it scared the crap out of me and I always had no ammo then.
Overall level design is a huge part of the game experience. A game isn’t a game when it consists only of one straight corridor. The textures may be nice, and the character design may be pulled off flawlessly, but simply having enemies pop out at you with no depth to the game is extremely boring. You must immerse the player into a world that will look good and have something interactive and interesting about it.
Planning and concepting
Planning and Concepting
Planning and concepting are one of the lead hands that pull the strings in the development of a game. No matter where a project ends up, it always starts with an idea, and that idea is expanded upon with planning. Organizing and distributing the work that has to be done is also a major factor for a successful game. Concepting is the visualization of the whole project. But what exactly occurs with planning and concepting?
Planning the whole process of work takes quite a lot of time, and it’s not only in the beginning, but continues through the whole process because not everything will end up the way you planned. But the initial organization is of most importance.
On the other hand, we have concepting, which is as important as planning. Basically, it’s the visualization of the whole game, the feel that it will have overall, and the characters that will give even more life to the surroundings. The planning of the game gives rise to the concept; what type of game is it going to be? If it’s a war game, the concept of it is going to be more realistic, and a lot more references will be used than, for instance, a game that takes place 200 years in the future, in which the artist’s imagination can go wild. However, the concept must still be restricted to the overall idea of the game. There is more freedom, but the initial planning must still be followed to keep the basic design constant.
Another example is if the game takes place in a specific time era, let’s say the 1930s or the 1950s in America. They have to make it feel like it’s actually 1930. When I think about those times I imagine warm, but at the same time very cold colors, because they were difficult times. Imagine an old-school jazz bar with live music and cigar smoke everywhere, beautiful ladies in fancy dresses, and real men in costumes. Mobsters come across my mind as well. They were famous times for bank robberies and alcohol and drug traffic, which the mob was heavily into. Basically what I want to say when you make a game you have to know what it will bring to the eye and soul of the player. That’s why concepting is so important.
It also is a factor that can continue over the whole project but yet again there must be a solid initial idea for the whole thing. Overall, planning and concepting are the first step into the making of a video game. One on hand you have to have a visual and plot design of the whole idea, and on the other a plan how all of that work will be processed, done for the period of time there is.
Planning and concepting are one of the lead hands that pull the strings in the development of a game. No matter where a project ends up, it always starts with an idea, and that idea is expanded upon with planning. Organizing and distributing the work that has to be done is also a major factor for a successful game. Concepting is the visualization of the whole project. But what exactly occurs with planning and concepting?
Planning the whole process of work takes quite a lot of time, and it’s not only in the beginning, but continues through the whole process because not everything will end up the way you planned. But the initial organization is of most importance.
On the other hand, we have concepting, which is as important as planning. Basically, it’s the visualization of the whole game, the feel that it will have overall, and the characters that will give even more life to the surroundings. The planning of the game gives rise to the concept; what type of game is it going to be? If it’s a war game, the concept of it is going to be more realistic, and a lot more references will be used than, for instance, a game that takes place 200 years in the future, in which the artist’s imagination can go wild. However, the concept must still be restricted to the overall idea of the game. There is more freedom, but the initial planning must still be followed to keep the basic design constant.
Another example is if the game takes place in a specific time era, let’s say the 1930s or the 1950s in America. They have to make it feel like it’s actually 1930. When I think about those times I imagine warm, but at the same time very cold colors, because they were difficult times. Imagine an old-school jazz bar with live music and cigar smoke everywhere, beautiful ladies in fancy dresses, and real men in costumes. Mobsters come across my mind as well. They were famous times for bank robberies and alcohol and drug traffic, which the mob was heavily into. Basically what I want to say when you make a game you have to know what it will bring to the eye and soul of the player. That’s why concepting is so important.
It also is a factor that can continue over the whole project but yet again there must be a solid initial idea for the whole thing. Overall, planning and concepting are the first step into the making of a video game. One on hand you have to have a visual and plot design of the whole idea, and on the other a plan how all of that work will be processed, done for the period of time there is.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Personal review of the first year
Looking back on year one, I realize that it wasn’t so much of a struggle as I thought it would be, especially in comparison to this year so far. It might be that I’m saying that because it has already passed and over with, but it’s difficulties were still somewhat easier to handle than several of the changes so far this year.
The biggest issues I faced during the first year were getting used to the course, and its programs, such as 3Ds Max, which I had never used beforehand. As well, being a foreign student required a lot of adjustment. Personally, I feel I’ve matured to some extend since the first year, and I am able to better realize the weight that I have to carry on my shoulders. Still, there is much I have to get used to.
In hindsight, I realize there are many things that I could have done better, one of which was my time management. This is an issue I’ve tried to get better at for years, with little progress. Essentially, I get everything done at the last moment, perhaps because of the fear of failing or not reaching the deadlines makes me go into work-overdrive, at which point I get everything done in one go. This year, however, I’m starting projects near the beginning, and working on them little by little until completion. Still, I tend to complete a large part of the work near the end. Overall, I think I did well during the first year – not great, of course – but I intend to improve. From my experience, I found that the time and effort I thought I put into a project simply wasn’t enough sometimes.
As of now, I can’t really describe what my expectations are for this year, as I’m uncertain of what is to come. However, there are several things I’d like to achieve. First, I’d like to show some improvement in my art. Secondly, my 3Ds Max skills could stand to improve, though I’m really not looking forward to it. I plan to spend as much extra time as I can with drawing, and developing myself as an artist. So far, I can say I’ve travelled a long road since my beginnings, and I plan to continue down that road to improvement. Sometimes the goal of getting there drives me mad, especially when looking at the art of those better than me; still, I strive to get better, and eventually surpass them. It’s a long and difficult road, but I take it in stride; I may want to take the easier paths, but something inside me urges me to take the rougher path.
Having seen what our current projects are, I’m quite confident that I can do them. Now, though, we’re a little bit more stressed out about our work, as we’ve got to put forth our best effort in order to pass on to year three. At point I find it quite difficult to manage the workload, and I have to try and balance that with developing my drawing skills. Another issue I’ve been facing that is having an effect on my work is my eyes. I’ve had medical issues with them for years; mainly, they’re photosensitive. After staring at a screen for some time, they hurt quite a bit for the rest of the day. Managing this requires taking breaks every now and then, where I just have to stop looking at anything in order to let them recover.
Overall, year one wasn’t quite as difficult as I expected it to be. This year however, I know I have to put forth a greater effort, and balance my own issues at the same time, in order to succeed.
The biggest issues I faced during the first year were getting used to the course, and its programs, such as 3Ds Max, which I had never used beforehand. As well, being a foreign student required a lot of adjustment. Personally, I feel I’ve matured to some extend since the first year, and I am able to better realize the weight that I have to carry on my shoulders. Still, there is much I have to get used to.
In hindsight, I realize there are many things that I could have done better, one of which was my time management. This is an issue I’ve tried to get better at for years, with little progress. Essentially, I get everything done at the last moment, perhaps because of the fear of failing or not reaching the deadlines makes me go into work-overdrive, at which point I get everything done in one go. This year, however, I’m starting projects near the beginning, and working on them little by little until completion. Still, I tend to complete a large part of the work near the end. Overall, I think I did well during the first year – not great, of course – but I intend to improve. From my experience, I found that the time and effort I thought I put into a project simply wasn’t enough sometimes.
As of now, I can’t really describe what my expectations are for this year, as I’m uncertain of what is to come. However, there are several things I’d like to achieve. First, I’d like to show some improvement in my art. Secondly, my 3Ds Max skills could stand to improve, though I’m really not looking forward to it. I plan to spend as much extra time as I can with drawing, and developing myself as an artist. So far, I can say I’ve travelled a long road since my beginnings, and I plan to continue down that road to improvement. Sometimes the goal of getting there drives me mad, especially when looking at the art of those better than me; still, I strive to get better, and eventually surpass them. It’s a long and difficult road, but I take it in stride; I may want to take the easier paths, but something inside me urges me to take the rougher path.
Having seen what our current projects are, I’m quite confident that I can do them. Now, though, we’re a little bit more stressed out about our work, as we’ve got to put forth our best effort in order to pass on to year three. At point I find it quite difficult to manage the workload, and I have to try and balance that with developing my drawing skills. Another issue I’ve been facing that is having an effect on my work is my eyes. I’ve had medical issues with them for years; mainly, they’re photosensitive. After staring at a screen for some time, they hurt quite a bit for the rest of the day. Managing this requires taking breaks every now and then, where I just have to stop looking at anything in order to let them recover.
Overall, year one wasn’t quite as difficult as I expected it to be. This year however, I know I have to put forth a greater effort, and balance my own issues at the same time, in order to succeed.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Personal review of the first year
The year I spent in university had a big impact on my life. The things I learned and parts of life I understood made me more mature and responsible in the end. The fact that I was thousands of miles away from home helped me to grow more independently as a person. The university taught me that the best education is self education, although some help form time to time is appreciated. I learned a great deal from my many lessons and lectures, and I feel they are the roots for something bigger to grow in the future.
Even before I arrived in Leicester and at university, I was imagining what it was going to belike; fun, though hard, or ridiculous, but not knowing it would be all of them. Being so far away from home, from my family and friends, certainly changed me. The fact that it was my first time flying to a distant country all alone, and not knowing anybody did make me panic a little bit in the beginning. But all I could do is man up and deal with it.
When the studies in the university started, I imagined it was going to be really fun and easy, though I was certainly wrong about that. At the beginning, yes, it was quite easy, as we began with fairly simple work, and thus had a lot of free time. But after a while the real work set in. The very first steps I took in the 3D area were both difficult and painful. But little by little I got the hang of it, though my progress was slow at first, but everything takes time. Overall, I think I improved a great deal in 3D modeling for the time I had, even though I knew nothing of it beforehand.
The visual design parts of the studies were quite enjoyable. Having an artistic background, it was quite easy for me to catch up on drawings, although I’m more of the type produce less work with higher quality, than a plethora of low quality work. Most enjoyable were the life drawing we had, although sometimes it was quite awkward having 48 guys in one small, hot room drawing a naked dude…but all in the days work I guess.
I enjoyed the lectures we had which dealt with discussing and brainstorming the basics of a movie or video game, how it was composed and created. Knowing the very basics of them, getting inside the art of the creation of a game or a movie, is a very important consideration for an artist. The movie lectures in which we just gathered around and watch some good movies were also quite interesting. The essay writing part wasn’t the best for me, English not being my mother language, and the fact that I’m not very good at their structure is kind of a bummer.
I had no idea what I was in for when I decided to study far away from home. I knew it was going to be hard, but at moments I wasn’t prepared for the problems I had. Dealing with them, projects for the university, balancing with money, and several other things were quite a burden from time to time. Maybe they were one of the reasons I couldn’t concentrate on my projects at some points, but the work I gave every time I was quite happy with. It wasn’t the best, but I tried to the best I could. Knowing that I could do more, I have the urge to improve myself in everything I do, it’s in my blood. But the lazy factor is in my blood too…kind of an oxymoron.
Overall, the year spent at the university had a big impact on my life, in that it forced me to grow more mature as an individual, and take more responsibilities. The work I produced was hard but at the end enjoyable. I have no idea what’s going to come in the year to follow, whether it will be more difficult or somewhat easier, but I guess I’ll just have to deal with it as it comes.
Even before I arrived in Leicester and at university, I was imagining what it was going to belike; fun, though hard, or ridiculous, but not knowing it would be all of them. Being so far away from home, from my family and friends, certainly changed me. The fact that it was my first time flying to a distant country all alone, and not knowing anybody did make me panic a little bit in the beginning. But all I could do is man up and deal with it.
When the studies in the university started, I imagined it was going to be really fun and easy, though I was certainly wrong about that. At the beginning, yes, it was quite easy, as we began with fairly simple work, and thus had a lot of free time. But after a while the real work set in. The very first steps I took in the 3D area were both difficult and painful. But little by little I got the hang of it, though my progress was slow at first, but everything takes time. Overall, I think I improved a great deal in 3D modeling for the time I had, even though I knew nothing of it beforehand.
The visual design parts of the studies were quite enjoyable. Having an artistic background, it was quite easy for me to catch up on drawings, although I’m more of the type produce less work with higher quality, than a plethora of low quality work. Most enjoyable were the life drawing we had, although sometimes it was quite awkward having 48 guys in one small, hot room drawing a naked dude…but all in the days work I guess.
I enjoyed the lectures we had which dealt with discussing and brainstorming the basics of a movie or video game, how it was composed and created. Knowing the very basics of them, getting inside the art of the creation of a game or a movie, is a very important consideration for an artist. The movie lectures in which we just gathered around and watch some good movies were also quite interesting. The essay writing part wasn’t the best for me, English not being my mother language, and the fact that I’m not very good at their structure is kind of a bummer.
I had no idea what I was in for when I decided to study far away from home. I knew it was going to be hard, but at moments I wasn’t prepared for the problems I had. Dealing with them, projects for the university, balancing with money, and several other things were quite a burden from time to time. Maybe they were one of the reasons I couldn’t concentrate on my projects at some points, but the work I gave every time I was quite happy with. It wasn’t the best, but I tried to the best I could. Knowing that I could do more, I have the urge to improve myself in everything I do, it’s in my blood. But the lazy factor is in my blood too…kind of an oxymoron.
Overall, the year spent at the university had a big impact on my life, in that it forced me to grow more mature as an individual, and take more responsibilities. The work I produced was hard but at the end enjoyable. I have no idea what’s going to come in the year to follow, whether it will be more difficult or somewhat easier, but I guess I’ll just have to deal with it as it comes.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Elements of game design, part four: environment
The element that brings everything else together, story and character, and makes them truly come alive, is the environment. It is the one factor that brings out the full mood of the game entirely.
Let’s further discuss environments, and not only in games, but also in books and movies. Environments can be absolutely anything, and look like anything the person puts their mind to, with any number of variations. So long as there is imagination, the environment can only grow. It is one of the elements that put the main character in place. The environment can be simple, and contrast the character, or reflect the current mood of the character.
Early on, the environment in games was no more than very simple, textured shapes and corridors meant only to guide the player in a path through the world, while providing minimal setting. But, as technology progressed, the environment became one of the most important and integral parts of any game, and serves several purposes. Again, the most basic use of the environment is to guide the player, to make it obvious where and where not to travel. A simplistic example of this is found in DOOM 3, and Halo: CE. DOOM 3 consisted mostly of small, rooms and corridors, leaving no freedom on where to travel, and generally guiding you to the final but. But, it served its purpose extremely well. The level of detail in the environment allowed it to work. The tight corridors make you feel claustrophobic, and because of its detailed design, could allow a demon to attack you from almost anywhere.
In Halo, the environment was beautifully sculpted and detail, and gave the illusion that the level was vast and open, when it was merely guiding you in the same manner as DOOM. The lovely backgrounds and sky-boxes, of forest and mountains, gave the environment the feeling of being completely open. This is one example where the scale of the environment affects the gameplay. It may be a linear game, but you have much more space to maneuver and strategize.
A game that broke these boundaries in a good way was Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. This massive sandbox-style game presented the player with the opportunity to go almost anywhere they wanted, in any order, and complete missions as they desired, while being able to use the environment to their advantage. The setting was huge, and portrayed the post-apocalyptic feel almost perfectly, and captured the Chernobyl meltdown quite well.
Environments are there to set up the mood and atmosphere for the game. They can bring out emotions of power, feebleness, fear, or happiness. For instance, in Dead Space, the environments in most of the game worked against the player, to keep them on edge, feeling uncomfortable, and scared. The amazing sound and lighting effects bring out the mood even more. Walking down a corridor with the lights flickering, going out, and then suddenly coming back to life with a monstrous growl makes the player ready their weapon to defend themselves. In the end, though, it turns out to merely be the environment playing mind games with the player, to keep them constantly alert.
As stated before, environments aren’t only important in games. They’re an even bigger factor in movies. And so, let’s discuss some of my favorite environments. As a big fan of old western movies, I love the way in which Sergio Leone captured the Wild West, something classic, but not new or fantastic. However, the overall feeling it creates is incredible. George Lucas’ Star Wars (4, 5, and 6) captured so many different environments wonderfully, that your eyes were always pleased with the result. As you watch, you don’t realize it, but everything in the environment, the character, the lighting, and the mood, are all connected in a great way.
Color is a major key to movies and games, specifically with the emotions they evoke. For instance, black and red are commonly signs of evil, but they can also represent passion and love. White and blue are signs of goodness and freedom, but they can also be cold, and represent a sterile environment, such as a hospital. A good director that captures these elements is Ridley Scott. In his famous Alien, the environment is mainly white corridors, almost like a hospital. The level of sterility gives you an uncomfortable feeling in your gut. In Blade Runner - by far one of my favorite settings – Syd Mead creates an epic city that captures both old and new with a lovely dark, noire feeling to it. The overall decay and darkness enhances the mood of the story.
As an artist myself, I love capturing a combination of old and new elements when I design an environment. Looking at the past, I see that everything that I need to make a future design is already being influenced by the older designs, and all I need to do is reach out and grab it.
Let’s further discuss environments, and not only in games, but also in books and movies. Environments can be absolutely anything, and look like anything the person puts their mind to, with any number of variations. So long as there is imagination, the environment can only grow. It is one of the elements that put the main character in place. The environment can be simple, and contrast the character, or reflect the current mood of the character.
Early on, the environment in games was no more than very simple, textured shapes and corridors meant only to guide the player in a path through the world, while providing minimal setting. But, as technology progressed, the environment became one of the most important and integral parts of any game, and serves several purposes. Again, the most basic use of the environment is to guide the player, to make it obvious where and where not to travel. A simplistic example of this is found in DOOM 3, and Halo: CE. DOOM 3 consisted mostly of small, rooms and corridors, leaving no freedom on where to travel, and generally guiding you to the final but. But, it served its purpose extremely well. The level of detail in the environment allowed it to work. The tight corridors make you feel claustrophobic, and because of its detailed design, could allow a demon to attack you from almost anywhere.
In Halo, the environment was beautifully sculpted and detail, and gave the illusion that the level was vast and open, when it was merely guiding you in the same manner as DOOM. The lovely backgrounds and sky-boxes, of forest and mountains, gave the environment the feeling of being completely open. This is one example where the scale of the environment affects the gameplay. It may be a linear game, but you have much more space to maneuver and strategize.
A game that broke these boundaries in a good way was Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. This massive sandbox-style game presented the player with the opportunity to go almost anywhere they wanted, in any order, and complete missions as they desired, while being able to use the environment to their advantage. The setting was huge, and portrayed the post-apocalyptic feel almost perfectly, and captured the Chernobyl meltdown quite well.
Environments are there to set up the mood and atmosphere for the game. They can bring out emotions of power, feebleness, fear, or happiness. For instance, in Dead Space, the environments in most of the game worked against the player, to keep them on edge, feeling uncomfortable, and scared. The amazing sound and lighting effects bring out the mood even more. Walking down a corridor with the lights flickering, going out, and then suddenly coming back to life with a monstrous growl makes the player ready their weapon to defend themselves. In the end, though, it turns out to merely be the environment playing mind games with the player, to keep them constantly alert.
As stated before, environments aren’t only important in games. They’re an even bigger factor in movies. And so, let’s discuss some of my favorite environments. As a big fan of old western movies, I love the way in which Sergio Leone captured the Wild West, something classic, but not new or fantastic. However, the overall feeling it creates is incredible. George Lucas’ Star Wars (4, 5, and 6) captured so many different environments wonderfully, that your eyes were always pleased with the result. As you watch, you don’t realize it, but everything in the environment, the character, the lighting, and the mood, are all connected in a great way.
Color is a major key to movies and games, specifically with the emotions they evoke. For instance, black and red are commonly signs of evil, but they can also represent passion and love. White and blue are signs of goodness and freedom, but they can also be cold, and represent a sterile environment, such as a hospital. A good director that captures these elements is Ridley Scott. In his famous Alien, the environment is mainly white corridors, almost like a hospital. The level of sterility gives you an uncomfortable feeling in your gut. In Blade Runner - by far one of my favorite settings – Syd Mead creates an epic city that captures both old and new with a lovely dark, noire feeling to it. The overall decay and darkness enhances the mood of the story.
As an artist myself, I love capturing a combination of old and new elements when I design an environment. Looking at the past, I see that everything that I need to make a future design is already being influenced by the older designs, and all I need to do is reach out and grab it.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Elements of game design, part three: character
The greatest focus of any game, aside from the plot itself, is that of the characters within them. Without dynamic characters, you are left with a simulated world, though beautifully designed in itself, with very little more. Static characters are just as bad, as they lack definition, emotion, and any tie to the character. For any game to succeed, the characters have to be memorable and dynamic, and thus a great deal of work and care is put into them.
Main characters are the figures within the game whose boots you step into for the journey ahead. The story most likely heavily involves them, and what happens around them during the course of their great adventure. But what exactly is the role of the main character in a game, book, or movie? Are they meant to be the most important individual? Do they alone dominate the focus of the game? A main character is usually the figure given the most attention, no matter if they are in a movie, book, or game.
A main character can be either protagonist or antagonist, depending on the type of game, and what the creators want out of them. Throughout the story, you are given perspective of the character in various ways. You can see what they look like, how they dress, and this grants an idea of their personality. Through their actions you find more about their ethics and morals, whether they are loved or hated, or even neutral. However, it is difficult to truly define a main character alone.
In any game, movie, or book, there are certainly secondary characters which compliment the main character, build their characteristics, and tell a much deeper story about them based on their interactions. These secondary characters are most likely dynamic characters as well, with their own histories and individual personalities. This grants a much greater variety in your cast. You don’t always have to adore the main character, as aspects of a secondary might be far more interesting, given the individual.
What elements make the characters, whether they are primary or secondary, most appealing to the reader/player? Mainly, I will discuss characters from games. There are many ways with which to accomplish this. On one hand, the character can be the most amazing and profound individual in the game; a hero or otherwise, but with their own faults to grant a balance and dynamism. Or, they can be a very simplistic character; a normal person with which the reader/player can envision themselves as that character, mixed in with the action, and taking part of the adventure firsthand. Some games can fulfill both of these tasks quite well. Two examples which I will focus on are the Half-Life series, and Dead Space games. The characters within these games have left the greatest impression on me.
In Half-Life, your character, Gordon Freeman, is a silent protagonist. He started as a mere scientist who is drawn into a terrible situation, which he alone is left to resolve despite all odds. Despite lacking many features, the player can impose their own characteristics upon Gordon, which makes him all the more dynamic. Silent characters tend to have this effect, much like RPG’s where you can define your character immensely. Another factor that allowed me to put myself in Gordon’s boots was the setting of the game, Half Life 2 specifically. The game takes place within Eastern Europe, and the setting reminded me a great deal of my home city. As with Half Life, Dead Space as well features a silent protagonist – at least in the first game – which allows you to step into his heavy, body-dismembering boots. These are the types of stories which I find irresistible, as they create an emotional tie with the player.
One of the most basic techniques a writer can use to draw a player to their character is sympathy. If you can become sympathetic of the character’s situation, you have all the more reason to play the game, and form a more emotional bond with the character. A more dynamic character requires emotions, which in itself takes good writing, designing, and animating to make the character real. The way the character moves, gestures, appears, talks, and interacts with their environment and other characters makes them truly appealing and dynamic. Many developers will hire celebrities to voice their characters in an attempt to make them more popular, which is sometimes unnecessary. Your character should be unique by themselves, without needing a famous voice to draw attention to them.
In the end, there are many ways to make a character successful. But essentially, their has to be a balance between realistic and supernatural qualities. The character, above all else, has to be believable, so that the player can bond further with them.
Main characters are the figures within the game whose boots you step into for the journey ahead. The story most likely heavily involves them, and what happens around them during the course of their great adventure. But what exactly is the role of the main character in a game, book, or movie? Are they meant to be the most important individual? Do they alone dominate the focus of the game? A main character is usually the figure given the most attention, no matter if they are in a movie, book, or game.
A main character can be either protagonist or antagonist, depending on the type of game, and what the creators want out of them. Throughout the story, you are given perspective of the character in various ways. You can see what they look like, how they dress, and this grants an idea of their personality. Through their actions you find more about their ethics and morals, whether they are loved or hated, or even neutral. However, it is difficult to truly define a main character alone.
In any game, movie, or book, there are certainly secondary characters which compliment the main character, build their characteristics, and tell a much deeper story about them based on their interactions. These secondary characters are most likely dynamic characters as well, with their own histories and individual personalities. This grants a much greater variety in your cast. You don’t always have to adore the main character, as aspects of a secondary might be far more interesting, given the individual.
What elements make the characters, whether they are primary or secondary, most appealing to the reader/player? Mainly, I will discuss characters from games. There are many ways with which to accomplish this. On one hand, the character can be the most amazing and profound individual in the game; a hero or otherwise, but with their own faults to grant a balance and dynamism. Or, they can be a very simplistic character; a normal person with which the reader/player can envision themselves as that character, mixed in with the action, and taking part of the adventure firsthand. Some games can fulfill both of these tasks quite well. Two examples which I will focus on are the Half-Life series, and Dead Space games. The characters within these games have left the greatest impression on me.
In Half-Life, your character, Gordon Freeman, is a silent protagonist. He started as a mere scientist who is drawn into a terrible situation, which he alone is left to resolve despite all odds. Despite lacking many features, the player can impose their own characteristics upon Gordon, which makes him all the more dynamic. Silent characters tend to have this effect, much like RPG’s where you can define your character immensely. Another factor that allowed me to put myself in Gordon’s boots was the setting of the game, Half Life 2 specifically. The game takes place within Eastern Europe, and the setting reminded me a great deal of my home city. As with Half Life, Dead Space as well features a silent protagonist – at least in the first game – which allows you to step into his heavy, body-dismembering boots. These are the types of stories which I find irresistible, as they create an emotional tie with the player.
One of the most basic techniques a writer can use to draw a player to their character is sympathy. If you can become sympathetic of the character’s situation, you have all the more reason to play the game, and form a more emotional bond with the character. A more dynamic character requires emotions, which in itself takes good writing, designing, and animating to make the character real. The way the character moves, gestures, appears, talks, and interacts with their environment and other characters makes them truly appealing and dynamic. Many developers will hire celebrities to voice their characters in an attempt to make them more popular, which is sometimes unnecessary. Your character should be unique by themselves, without needing a famous voice to draw attention to them.
In the end, there are many ways to make a character successful. But essentially, their has to be a balance between realistic and supernatural qualities. The character, above all else, has to be believable, so that the player can bond further with them.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Elements of game design, part two: art direction for games
Game design is a massive team effort, and while there are many leads for each aspect of design, the final decisions rest mainly on the art director. The art director is the person tasked with coordinating the flow of art in any game. Essentially, they decide what type of art should be implemented into the game, how the characters look, and how the environment blends with the overall style. The responsibilities of the art director are huge, since in the end, every approval or disapproval falls to the director, giving them control over the final product.
But what exactly is an art director? What kind of influence does he have on the game? And is he the person responsible for the whole game? The role of the art director is quite important, and though their decisions hold a great deal of weight, they must still rely on a team to make final decisions. Developing the art of a game is a process that requires a lot of people, power, and time. The first task for the art director and his crew is to brainstorm ideas for the overall art style. All of their ideas have to be incorporated in such a way that they will fit with the story and genre, and not look out of place.
A very important factor in modern games is the environment. Without a well developed environment, you end up with a potentially well-designed character that simply feels out of place in the surroundings. Deciding on a working environment concept sets the overall mood and feeling of the game, and thus a great deal of emphasis must be placed on it.
The art director for a game is quite similar to an art director for a movie. Both of them have to make important decisions about the look of a set/game level, and characters. With an art director in a film, they must coordinate with set builders, wardrobe teams, and the actors themselves, much the way a game art director deals with the lead artist, writers, and animators.
The job of the art director can be quite difficult at times. They have many responsibilities they have to keep up with, and are constantly moving about getting feedback from the various teams under them, and planning for the project’s future. Personally, I think the role of art director is amazing. There are times that I would probably hate it and the stress that comes with it, as well as the massive responsibility, but in the end, I would hold a great deal on influence over the concepts in the game. Having my own design ideas incorporated into a game is a thrilling idea.
As far as the creativity of the job goes, I’m honestly not certain how much actual designing the art director does on their own accord, since many of those tasks fall to the lead artist and their team. Simply giving orders to other artists doesn’t appeal much to me, as I’d much rather draw what I have in mind myself, instead of tasking someone else to do it. It’s much more effective than giving another designer a vague idea of what you want done. They can be creative in that they guide the other artists
In effect, the art director has many roles. They guide their team, keeping them on track with the overall style. They manage ideas, giving their input, getting feedback, and making final decisions for the product at hand. And most importantly, they ensure that every member works together and blends ideas, so that no aspect of the end product conflicts heavily with another.
But what exactly is an art director? What kind of influence does he have on the game? And is he the person responsible for the whole game? The role of the art director is quite important, and though their decisions hold a great deal of weight, they must still rely on a team to make final decisions. Developing the art of a game is a process that requires a lot of people, power, and time. The first task for the art director and his crew is to brainstorm ideas for the overall art style. All of their ideas have to be incorporated in such a way that they will fit with the story and genre, and not look out of place.
A very important factor in modern games is the environment. Without a well developed environment, you end up with a potentially well-designed character that simply feels out of place in the surroundings. Deciding on a working environment concept sets the overall mood and feeling of the game, and thus a great deal of emphasis must be placed on it.
The art director for a game is quite similar to an art director for a movie. Both of them have to make important decisions about the look of a set/game level, and characters. With an art director in a film, they must coordinate with set builders, wardrobe teams, and the actors themselves, much the way a game art director deals with the lead artist, writers, and animators.
The job of the art director can be quite difficult at times. They have many responsibilities they have to keep up with, and are constantly moving about getting feedback from the various teams under them, and planning for the project’s future. Personally, I think the role of art director is amazing. There are times that I would probably hate it and the stress that comes with it, as well as the massive responsibility, but in the end, I would hold a great deal on influence over the concepts in the game. Having my own design ideas incorporated into a game is a thrilling idea.
As far as the creativity of the job goes, I’m honestly not certain how much actual designing the art director does on their own accord, since many of those tasks fall to the lead artist and their team. Simply giving orders to other artists doesn’t appeal much to me, as I’d much rather draw what I have in mind myself, instead of tasking someone else to do it. It’s much more effective than giving another designer a vague idea of what you want done. They can be creative in that they guide the other artists
In effect, the art director has many roles. They guide their team, keeping them on track with the overall style. They manage ideas, giving their input, getting feedback, and making final decisions for the product at hand. And most importantly, they ensure that every member works together and blends ideas, so that no aspect of the end product conflicts heavily with another.
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