tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9696591629293483772024-03-13T16:47:43.559-07:00Dan HargreavesDan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-36901295485137958032013-10-22T14:39:00.004-07:002013-10-22T14:39:59.049-07:00New BlogI've decided to document all my third year work on a separate blog, to keep things more professional. I might keep this one updated with more personal stuff.<br /><br />New blog here <a href="http://danhargreavesyear3.blogspot.co.uk/">http://danhargreavesyear3.blogspot.co.uk/</a>Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-32924856638242875602013-05-24T08:33:00.002-07:002013-05-24T08:34:57.418-07:00End of Year 2 Review<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">It feels like it was yesterday I was
writing my end of year 1 blog. God, these 2 years have gone quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">So what’s changed for me over the
last year:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">Generally throughout my first year I
was being semi unproductive and just plain lazy at times regarding work. But now
I have completely stopped that. Im glad I have too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">Changing this mindset was my main
goal to accomplish this year, as I believe without the correct mindset and work
ethic you will not get a job in this industry or anything like it. So making
sure I changed it was vital, and it was done with a lot of focus, willpower and
determination. It wasn’t a walk in the park mind you though, quite a few times
(epically before Christmas) I slipped backed into my old habits of having 2/3
solid days of doing no work at all, I even stupidly had a week off from doing
work to binge on the whole 7 series of Dexter (which I do highly recommend on
another note).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">I certainly felt the extra pressure
of catching up on all that undone work though, not good. But recently with the added bit of added
pressure and motivation from the group project, my holiday and the end of the
year 2. I was putting in roughly 55-60 hour weeks. I was mentally exhausted in
the last few days but in a strange well it felt pretty good – knowing that ive
just ploughed through a lot of work. That long stint of just doing nothing but work
has just put it into perspective of how much I need to do to get a good grade,
but It also how much and hard I can push myself. After that whole ordeal, its
shown me how well I can cope with pressure as well, which is a great skillet to
have in any intense job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">At the start of the year I felt my
digital painting wasn’t up to scratch, especially after seeing the quality of
work some other students are pumping out. It was, and still is something I want
to improve on. In the second year visual design focuses much more on digital
painting than the first year, so I had a lot of opportunities to practice.
Improving in painting is just like drawing, the more you do it the better you
get at it. Throughout the year I picked up better painting techniques from
talking to other students and watching online tutorials and put these into
practice. Below you can hopefully see an improvement. The first painting was
from the start of the year, the second from the end of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Abbey park Final</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moonshine Character Final</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">Ive always said in this blog that I
have a passion for character art and I want to be a character artist. But with
the recent completion of the group project I found working on environments and
props to be a lovely experience. So much so that im changing my mind of what I
want to specialise in on my FMP and what sort of job role I want to go into.
It’s a bit late having this change of mind but with more job opportunities and
less competition as a environment artist than a character artist and having
this recent passion boost for environment art it might be the right decision. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ill</st1:place></st1:state> use this summer to
firmly decide on what I want to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">Now that ive finished year 2 and
have a long 5 month break ahead until year 3 starts, I have a lot of time on my
hands. So apart from catching up on the big games ive missed out in the last 4
months or so, I want to do work. Drawing is still my weakest skill so I plan to
do a lot of sketching so I don’t get rusty over the summer months. But im still
looking to continue to carry on the group project with a few more members as we
really want to win this competition. The exposure we are currently getting is
great, so its something worth perusing. Especially so as it will massively help
to get into the industry as having that on my portfolio will make me stand out
from the rest of the crowd. It is also a chance to work on more environment
pieces so I can get a better understanding on what path I want to take for my
FMP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">Well I guess that’s it for another
year, ill probably keep updating this blog over the summer, but not as much.
See you in year 3.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p>Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-35213615842808214842013-05-05T11:54:00.000-07:002013-05-05T14:41:30.571-07:00Life Changing or Career Building?I know what technical skills are, but I didn't have the foggiest what soft skills are until a quick Google search (where would we be without Google?). Its describe as ‘Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person's "EQ" (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with other people’. So basically it’s their mind set/personality, cool, let’s begin then.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sums up soft skills nicely</td></tr>
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These soft skills in my eyes are more important than hardskills. Having the
drive, motivation and determination to go out there and push yourself time and
time again even when you’re making little to no process is what will make you
excel. I touched on the subject in a previous blog, basically saying with the
right mind set you can pretty much do whatever you want.<o:p></o:p></div>
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These sorts of soft skills are vital in the games industry,
even if you have a job in it. As you always need to be on top of your game and
constantly striving to be a better artist. So if that means working on personal
projects outside of work while you’re crunching 50+ hours a week in work, then so be it, because if you don’t,
someone else will and they'll take your job.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I always thought I had good soft skills (especially self-motivation)
before taking this course. But looking back from where I am now, I realise that
I really didn't. I used to spend around 2 months (while working part time mind
you) to fully create a character which wasn't even rigged, and that was down to
having little drive/self-motivation. I’d get home from a 4/5 hour shift at work
and be like ‘ummm ill start my character tomorrow/next week, it wont matter if i put it off’, and I used to
think I had the drive to get into the industry, how wrong I was. Now after 2
years of solid grafting, especially this last year I have gained the drive/self-motivation
I desperately needed and required to get anywhere close to a job in the
industry. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Learning how to learn effectively is more beneficial to the
student than learning technical skills. As new bits of software get released or workflow
techniques change, so the students are going to have to relearn/change their way of thinking to keep up with the evolution of technology Without having these soft skills its going
to take them a lot longer to grasp new technical skills than someone who has these soft skills.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This doesn't mean we shouldn't teach technical skills at
all. Technical skills for an artist are very important, without them how can
they produce the things we see in modern games? It’s a fine balance to teach both skillets. I
believe this course does a very good job in balancing these 2 out. Its hammered
into you from day one that you need to graft to get anywhere on this course, let alone find a job.
What stuck in my head and got put into perspective was being told at the
induction that ‘50% of students will drop the first year, and another 50% in
the second’. That’s not really down to peoples lack of technical skills, it’s their
lack of soft skills – no drive to put in the required effort. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reason why most people fail this course....</td></tr>
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This course does a great job in harnessing the students
creativity. In year one it puts you on a tight rope and won’t let you wonder
much from the set path, as this year is all about learning the tools of the
trade. Then as you progress into the second year that ‘rope’ gets a lot looser,
allowing more creative freedom. Then in the third year you get complete
freedom. But we are guided and nudge into sensible directions with our
creativity. This is what makes us Skillset accredited and highly valuable to
employers. <o:p></o:p></div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-29367755022373582372013-04-25T06:52:00.001-07:002013-04-25T06:52:11.677-07:00Creativity<br />
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When I was younger and watching TV and there was a scene of
a group of people in a meeting room trying
to think of the next ground breaking product, everyone was umming and arring until
suddenly one guy stands up and spouts out the most brilliant out the of box
idea which everyone cheers at. That is how I used to view creativity - creative
people can just come up with brilliant ideas all the time on the spot. I used
to penalise myself for not coming up with that creative sparks in a few seconds
like they did on the TV. Because of that i used to think to myself, maybe I’m
not cut out for being in a ‘creative’. But as I’ve grown older (and hopefully a
bit wiser) I’ve come to realise that creativity doesn’t work like that. When
solving a solution to a problem it’s usually a series of little ideas which you
can bounce of other people and get their view on it, which then as a team you
have this creative solution. Very few people throughout history have been able
to do this all by themselves, and if I, or anyone else can’t do that then I
shouldn’t beat myself up, like I used to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That lovely light bulb idea which rarely happens in real life</td></tr>
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Being able to have these little creative ideas are not
something people are born with though, it comes down to a few factors. Such as
genetics and personal experience. Admittedly (and annoyingly) some people do
have a knack for it just like their parents, but that doesn’t mean if you don’t
naturally have you won’t have it at all. Personal experience is a major
contributing to creativity. Try new things, even if it’s just a new dish at a
restaurant. It allows you to experience different things which open your mind.
For instance, if you wanted to cook a traditional English dish with an exotic
twist, how would you begin to start if for your whole life you’ve just ate fish
and chips, you wouldn’t have a clue what exotic food taste like. Whereas if
you’ve tasted a wide range of food and flavours then it’ll be easier to see
what works and what doesn’t, you’ll also have more knowledge on the subject,
and as we all know, knowledge is power.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Talent has the same traits as above but has one major
factor, and that is hard work. Your parents might have passed on their talent
gene onto you and you might have a large amount of experience to call upon but
if you don’t work then how are you going to be able to get better. I believe
everyone has the same maximum potential, but how hard you’re willing to work
and what you’re born with corresponds with how quickly you can reach your
maximum potential.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://api.ning.com/files/eQj7uFOaLuRrVqZh-5km8kGxhLzWGfPl5thoGCmmYiN8wRi44vDQpYnWV4RT3j6jJfKhwI4C6uaV0FiZS7T0rQ__/TalentCycle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://api.ning.com/files/eQj7uFOaLuRrVqZh-5km8kGxhLzWGfPl5thoGCmmYiN8wRi44vDQpYnWV4RT3j6jJfKhwI4C6uaV0FiZS7T0rQ__/TalentCycle2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to manage talent</td></tr>
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As technology has evolved over the years, development
studios are being less limited by technology with what they are able to
create. Creativity and what people envision
from these studios has really been the same since the beginning of games, but
the way they can implement them into games has changed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Creativity can be displayed in many ways with games. It can
be a new graphical effect which was produced in an unconventional way. <a href="http://simonschreibt.blogspot.de/">http://simonschreibt.blogspot.de/</a>
This blog goes into detail on how certain effects in games new and old are
produced. No matter what how advance game engines can go, developers will
always want to create something unique so they will find a way to do it. <br />
Gameplay can be another way a developer shows off their creativity, and is
generally the way most people will recognise it as everyone can appreciate it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How 'gibbing' works in L4D2</td></tr>
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Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-68826367968425449652013-04-14T13:43:00.000-07:002013-04-16T14:57:16.131-07:00The final push for year 2.<br />
So I've just got back from my 3 week Easter break, but it’s
hardly been a break. Most people would use this time of to chill out, catch up
with friends and maybe play a few games or so. Not me, nope. I've used those 3
weeks to catch up on any outstanding visual design work, which I wanted to have
fully caught up but that doesn't seem like that’s the case. Damn me over
estimating me how quickly I can do work! I have been getting my work done
though, I got some nice digital painting finals done. I've also been making
large headway with the project work. <br />
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So for the group project over Easter I and another member was
tasked to help out another member who was struggling to produce all his work to
the deadline, as it was a lot. It was decided just before the Easter break that
we would take on some of his prop work so as a team we could move onto the next
stage of this project as quickly as possible. I did plan to use the Easter
break to catch up on mostly VD work so having this to do as well did put more
strain on my workload. But I didn't mind too much as I love creating props –
they’re just small fun assets you can produce in a day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My workloads not
going to get any lighter over the coming weeks. I have a few bits of work to
catch up on, the group project to finish off and any other work which is going
to be given to us. Having all this work to do is going to be tough. But what
makes it a lot worse is that last year I (stupidly) booked a holiday from the
12<sup>th</sup> of May, which is about 2 weeks before our final hand in. So now
i have roughly 2 weeks’ worth of work time I can’t use. Some all-nighters are
going to be needed. But I don’t mind so much, as I know if I put a lot of solid
work in for these last few weeks then I can have the whole summer knowing I put
in everything I could. I don’t want to go through what happen last year with me
spending half of the summer worrying if I was going to make it into the second
year. And that happened because I got complacent towards the end of the year
and stopped putting as much effort in as I should have. I’m not going to let
it happen this year.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-90809311991782317592013-04-10T05:56:00.001-07:002013-04-10T05:56:59.100-07:00Generalist Or Specialist?<br />
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Coming to the end of my second year has raised few question for myself. Such as what job area
I want to go into in the games industry. But also how do I become more
employable.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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So should I become a specialist in the field I want to get
into, such as being a character artist. Where I just spend all day every day
creating awesome characters. Or do I broaden my skill set so that one week I
animate characters, then the next week i'm creating foliage for the level. By
the end of this post ill hopefully have an answer, or at least a better idea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/sIrloflkwT1TkwyWPgfLdlXwfC8WeFwf_66ISQ1tbRdqbLyfMYOSrMxejxfwVXSZ9KMtQ8sOppfUiO0DDfoAmZu8xq6HCKlAQDMrjAQufw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/sIrloflkwT1TkwyWPgfLdlXwfC8WeFwf_66ISQ1tbRdqbLyfMYOSrMxejxfwVXSZ9KMtQ8sOppfUiO0DDfoAmZu8xq6HCKlAQDMrjAQufw" width="213" /></a></div>
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Since I first started working with 3D software I've always
had a passion for characters, so that’s all I really did. But as I've gone
through this course I've started different projects that before I’d never
attempt (such as buildings, vehicles and foliage). It’s made me reconsider what
field I’d like to get into. I love seeing a massive project through to the very
end, seeing the end results of weeks and weeks of hard work. But lately with
working on the Crytek ‘Off The Map’ project, I have been really enjoying
spending each week working with something completely different. With working on
something new every week you never get into a rut where you start to get sick
of what you’re working on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I should focus on being one of these types depending what
type of studio (indie or major) I want to work for. If I go down the generalist
route I’m going to be more valuable to an indie developer, as they do not have
the resources to employ many people. So being able to pick up any task and
complete it effectively is vital. Whereas working for a major studio it would
be better for them to have a specialised people on board. This is down to them
having enough resources so they can employ people who are the best in their
field, allowing them to create the best quality assets for the game.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But I do think there is a middle ground which benefits
everyone - being flexible within a specialised job role. So a person
specialising in being a character artist should be able to rig and animate as
well as create the character. A environment artist should be able to use a game
engine/script as well as being able to create the assets which go in them. It’s
also good to show you can adopt to any type of art style, as some studios only
work to one art style (Crytek go for photo realistic whereas Blizzard are known
for their hand painted style)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Being ‘T shape’ is
also another good middle ground. It describes a person to have some knowledge
in all areas, which related to the vertical line on the T. But this person is
highly skilled in one particular area, this is represented by the horizontal
line in the T. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/R3sDrZ0dnkZJrSfhFhMarDAOAEittW_Nh9gV5U4LmFpJZ84QHZgfy0L9d66s303ytKOeZ13cRTf7viMJREULs2_C9zac_gVOGBFCUN8WOF58Z5QiTc8P7MX6yhxy8dsVsT3858Rp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/R3sDrZ0dnkZJrSfhFhMarDAOAEittW_Nh9gV5U4LmFpJZ84QHZgfy0L9d66s303ytKOeZ13cRTf7viMJREULs2_C9zac_gVOGBFCUN8WOF58Z5QiTc8P7MX6yhxy8dsVsT3858Rp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vavles model employee</td></tr>
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Having knowledge/experience in a broad range of skills is a
bonus to any employer. As this allows you to effectively communicate with other
people within the team who could have an impact on your work. So for an example
if you are a character artist, it’s an advantage to at least know the basics of
rigging and animating. As this will allow you to talk to the animation team to
solve any technical issues with your model without being lost in translation
when talking to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I believe this is why technical artist are highly valuable.
As they have skills in programming and art creation they can work with
programmers but also work with the art team effectively because they can
understand the workflow/pipeline for both teams . They almost become the middle
man of the two departments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The way this course is laid out it makes everyone ‘T
shaped’, as it makes you work with every type of art in a game (environment/characters/props/vehicles
etc. Then you specialise in whatever area you want for your final project. ).
This is why graduates from this course have a high employment rate. So from
what I've researched I think to become more employable as a character artists I
think the best thing I can do is become proficient in rigging and animating
along with character creation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Out sourcing is becoming more and more used by the industry.
Especially with the bigger studios, in fact according to the article here <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/outsourcing-is-fundamental">http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/outsourcing-is-fundamental</a>
83% of studios outsource. The reason why this is happening is because the
economical sate of the country and the industry along the increase of man hours
required to make a AAA game. Even with budgets of 10s of millions £s, outsourcing
is still a major factor for development studios. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/28kkwqM-ft8h0wWnxrOOtV_3dq7R2fXNQaVwAQsyFqINoSAYFSc-0CLGP8vW9c6FDHM3N2NDsonKazgKQXk7PKONjkL5DTl6ZDZrwuLnCkL75a6GgiaPlr0yWu0wWEA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/28kkwqM-ft8h0wWnxrOOtV_3dq7R2fXNQaVwAQsyFqINoSAYFSc-0CLGP8vW9c6FDHM3N2NDsonKazgKQXk7PKONjkL5DTl6ZDZrwuLnCkL75a6GgiaPlr0yWu0wWEA" width="320" /></a></div>
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An interesting article on ‘T Shaped’ roles:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://game-linchpin.com/2010/06/generalist-specialist-game-developer.html">http://game-linchpin.com/2010/06/generalist-specialist-game-developer.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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An interesting forum debate about being a generalist or
specialist:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87950">http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87950</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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So the Off The Map group project is going really well. Everyone
seems to be pulling their weight and we’re
starting to see the level come together from all the hard work we’re putting
in. Seeing the quality of the work we are producing (our group and the other 2)
I have no doubt that as long as we keep it up we can win this competition.
Crytek seem to be taking an interest too, with posting a blog about us here (which
is featured on their main page) :</div>
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<a href="http://www.crytek.com/blog/de-montfort-university-using-cryengine--3-to-go-off-the-map">http://www.crytek.com/blog/de-montfort-university-using-cryengine--3-to-go-off-the-map</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s really nice working within a team too. As I find any
sort of demotivation is thrown out the window, seeing everyone else posting
their work updates spurs me on to work (even if they’re just small updates). <o:p></o:p></div>
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So since my last update I've built all the houses which are going
to be used within the level. I made a floor modular system to work with, which
made the process of creating unique houses pretty efficient. I basically used
all my unique assets (walls, wood beams, windows etc) to make several different
versions of each floor. Then with all the floors I created I could mix and
match between the ground and middle floor, roof and roof objects. Using this
method allowed me to create 9 different houses in a very short amount of time.
Below shows the process.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8X9SNBgTE7o/UTkYmwQ3uXI/AAAAAAAAAGc/GjsuyEPITCk/s1600/Modular_Assets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8X9SNBgTE7o/UTkYmwQ3uXI/AAAAAAAAAGc/GjsuyEPITCk/s400/Modular_Assets.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the unique assets </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RPyAYCSblRI/UTmyDzR-7xI/AAAAAAAAAHA/tAd3DfbcdKo/s1600/Individual_Floors_New.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RPyAYCSblRI/UTmyDzR-7xI/AAAAAAAAAHA/tAd3DfbcdKo/s400/Individual_Floors_New.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the floors which i can mix and match</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FU8s8d5YIoc/UTkYoge39MI/AAAAAAAAAGo/QloUDCvMygY/s1600/Houses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FU8s8d5YIoc/UTkYoge39MI/AAAAAAAAAGo/QloUDCvMygY/s400/Houses.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final 9 houses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was also tasked to create the cobbled streets. This was
something I've never done before - create a highly detailed but tillable texture.
This new workflow taught me a lot of different tools and approaches which I can
apply to other tasks. It was a difficult task to make the texture interesting ,
but not so interesting that the player can see that the texture is tiling. I
think I got a pretty good result, the texture has a lot a small things going
on, such as little puddles caught between the stones, moss growing, and some
dirt/rubble as well. But not so much that the tiling is obvious. Take a look:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-etYiLbzNBts/UTkYqVI5-LI/AAAAAAAAAGw/R293Jq8vwI8/s1600/Path_Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-etYiLbzNBts/UTkYqVI5-LI/AAAAAAAAAGw/R293Jq8vwI8/s400/Path_Final.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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That’s the 3D side of things, now the 2D side. 2 weeks ago I
posted my (long) random short story. Since then I have completed the storyboard
for it. I’m also pretty happy with the result with it too. The piece lacks the
polish of a final piece, as the idea of a storyboard is just to get an idea
down. But I really like some of the compositional approaches I took. I saw
this as an opportunity to push my perspective skills, which I do lack and need
to improve. I wanted scenes to have a range of wide shots, looking up at the
main focal point and down. I think i succeeded I enjoyed this project a lot more than expected, and
love the character ‘Oakbeard’ I got from it. So much so that when I get some
free time I’m going to make a 3d model of him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuohqD9OI9E/UTkYiYhnHrI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/0Zvs8EJnv3o/s1600/Storyboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuohqD9OI9E/UTkYiYhnHrI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/0Zvs8EJnv3o/s400/Storyboard.jpg" width="147" /></a></div>
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That’s me done, ill be back soon with another work update.<o:p></o:p></div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-17666623241210059462013-02-27T07:12:00.001-08:002013-02-27T07:12:21.963-08:00Group Project - Off The Map <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The British Library have partnered up with Crytek and Game
City to allowing top students from game art related courses throughout the UK
to create historically accurate levels using the British Library’s maps. The
maps to pick from are Stonehenge, Pyramids of Giza and 17<sup>th</sup> century
London. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bit more info here : <a href="http://www.crytek.com/blog/crytek-challenges-students-to-go-off-the-map-with-cryengine--3">http://www.crytek.com/blog/crytek-challenges-students-to-go-off-the-map-with-cryengine--3</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few weeks back we were giving the amazing opportunity to
be a part of this, plus it lines up with our group project quite nicely. We
were not giving the choice on which map we wanted create, we were told we had
to recreate 17<sup>th</sup> century London. I don’t blame them, as the other 2
maps are just completely uninspiring, artistically and technically. This map
will push our skills as artists. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have to re-imagine 17<sup>th</sup> century London (just
before the Great Fire) in 3D, using the power of CryEngine from Crytek. The really nice
thing about this is that it’s a competition between 10 different university
from the UK and I’m pretty competitive, so I’m determined to get first place
and with the team we have, I know we can. If we do come in at a high place/win
it, I think we have a level flythrough/presentation at Game City. Not only will
that boast my self-confidence, but it’ll be a massive highlight on my portfolio
to potential employers. Its experience and achievements like that which will
give me the edge over other students applying
for jobs. I’m sure Game City will be full of head-hunters looking out for new
talent to snap up too, I want to be ones of those people who get snapped up. So
I need to do everything I can impress them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first week we discussed what area we wanted to do and
got down some basic ideas. We wanted to stay true to the real events (The Great
Fire), so as homage to it, we will model Pudding Lane and the surrounding
areas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second week we went to the British Library where we got
many pictures of the maps made from around that time. The team then started to
research into the history and to knock out some quick 2d concepts. As I’m
stronger on the 3D side of things, I was tasked to model a detail white box of
pudding lane from the actual maps we got hold off from the library. Doing this
gave the other people a good start with the concepts, as they could paint over
the renders. But it also gave us a general feel of the level and a good idea on
how to approach the modular buildings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WB_0Yp5OK-s/US4hRjOdpyI/AAAAAAAAAFk/ePV5dR8Tq7c/s1600/New_Whitebox_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WB_0Yp5OK-s/US4hRjOdpyI/AAAAAAAAAFk/ePV5dR8Tq7c/s320/New_Whitebox_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basic whitebox of Pudding Lane</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EsPXRYpG0iA/US4hSKKemhI/AAAAAAAAAFs/uCdkLbUylHg/s1600/New_Whitebox_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EsPXRYpG0iA/US4hSKKemhI/AAAAAAAAAFs/uCdkLbUylHg/s320/New_Whitebox_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basic whitebox Pudding Lane</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The third week we prepared for our group presentations and
carried on with our tasks set from the week before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The forth week we all agreed to make enough individual
assets which could be put together to make several different houses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below you can see an example of how we are going to approach
the buildings. Creating it in a modular way allows us to create many unique
houses in a short amount of time. Which is a very effective technique for the
scale we want to achieve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i-4mptr17z4/US4hcbOMezI/AAAAAAAAAF4/GPJaggZSRGM/s1600/Assests.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="121" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i-4mptr17z4/US4hcbOMezI/AAAAAAAAAF4/GPJaggZSRGM/s320/Assests.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of all the unique assets i made</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvFPnMTvcNQ/US4hcmbLGlI/AAAAAAAAAGA/yyvzjaA4DS4/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvFPnMTvcNQ/US4hcmbLGlI/AAAAAAAAAGA/yyvzjaA4DS4/s320/Untitled-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using the above assets in different ways allowed me to build 2 different houses</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s it for now, ill post an update soon on my progress
with the project. Or head over to our group blog here:</span> <a href="http://puddinglanedmuga.blogspot.co.uk/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://puddinglanedmuga.blogspot.co.uk/</a></div>
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Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-83999259956826036182013-02-19T12:53:00.000-08:002013-02-25T11:16:59.847-08:00Interaction Design <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Different ways for the player to interact with the game
other than the traditional d pad and buttons have been around since the early
days of gaming. But only in recent times, since the wii came out really, that
the mainstream audience has started to buy into it. But just because the
mainstream is buying into it doesn't mean it’s more immersive than something 10
years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve used quite a few peripherals in my gaming life. Only a
few have really helped with immersion, the rest have been a feeble attempt at
it. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steering wheels, for example, are an absolute blast to use, especially when
its link to a gear box and pedals with force feedback.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Drifting round the corner and fighting the
force of the wheel kicking back couldn't really get any better for me, and
that’s probably because its replicating driving a car pretty well. I don’t
really have to think about what im doing, it just comes naturally (even when I didn't</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> know how to drive), that’s down to it being intuitive.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.4gamer.net/review/g25_racing_wheel/img/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://www.4gamer.net/review/g25_racing_wheel/img/01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">I've never felt more immersed in a game while playing on this</td></tr>
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</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the flip side, peripherals to enhance any sort of
shooting game has never worked well. Yeah, pointing a ‘wand’ at a screen
is <i>slightly</i>
better than moving an analogue stick on a controller, but it still doesn’t feel
like I’m actually there shooting a gun. Even when the wand is placed in a gun
casing (oooo plastic, how realistic). When it is, it does feel kinda cool
holding it and pulling the trigger, but it doesn’t feel realistic, I don’t feel
like im there, holding an actual gun. This completely takes me out of the
immersion, im just constantly thinking to myself that im hold this big red gun made of plastic, makes me feel like a kid and kinda stupid. One
thing ive never seen in a shooting peripheral is some sort of reloading
process. Pressing a button on the side of the gun to reload it really kills the
realism for me. Ive never seen a gun where you can release the mag then put a
new one in, id love that. Someone invent that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/607667781/Free-Shipping-New-arrival-high-quality-DRAGON-SPARKLING-VIBRATION-GUN-CONTROLLER-FOR-WII-games-red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/607667781/Free-Shipping-New-arrival-high-quality-DRAGON-SPARKLING-VIBRATION-GUN-CONTROLLER-FOR-WII-games-red.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The peak of gaming accessory realism...... </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the years and consoles generations go by we’ll see loads
of attempts to merge reality and fantasy together(many of them pathetic im
sure). But unless something spectacular
comes outs I really don’t see any of them taking off. Video games to me, and im
sure to most people are a way to chill out and break away from reality. The
last thing I want to do after having had a long day of doing work is jump
around and waving my hands about like an idiot. I just want to slouch on my
sofa bashing some buttons. I don’t think we’ll be seeing much more of this
motion controller idea. People are finally getting over the craze of motion
controllers, bout time too. This article explain why in a bit more depth: <a href="http://www.craveonline.com/gaming/articles/177457-has-motion-control-failed">http://www.craveonline.com/gaming/articles/177457-has-motion-control-failed</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But one thing which I do favour with some of these
peripherals is the new wave of fitness games were getting, im not a fan of it,
but I think it’s a good move. I know some people hate the thought of going to
the gym to work out, and find that boring. But with games like wiifit it does
get people to interact with a game in a healthy and entertaining way. Marinating
a healthy life is a good thing, people know that but some can’t be bothered to
move out of there house to get some exercise. Developers/publishers know this
too, so they are capitalising on it, and I don’t blame them. They get their
money and people get healthier. Win win situation.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing I love seeing on every console generation is how each company is taking a new/different
approach to the form factors and style of the console and the controller. The
last few decades all consoles suffered from brickingitis. Every single one was
some form of a box and a box isn’t the prettiest thing to look at. The
controllers were slightly better though. The first few of them were boxes, but
then they started to understand that holding a box for a few hours did nothing
but hurt the players hands. So they started to look into ergonomics and put it
into practice and because of that we start seeing some comfortable controllers.
Now it seems like it’s pretty important factor for some people - I’ve heard of people
buying a 360 over a ps3 just because the controller fits in their hands better.
Also rumours are that Microsoft never did (and still don’t) well in the east Asian
market as the Xbox controller was too large for their smaller hands, even still
when they released a smaller controller to suit their needs . So it seems like
people are starting to express themselves with their wallet. Making it big
business for companies to get it right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aoaforums.com/forum/attachments/general-hardware-discussion/15283d1131783216-xbox-360-controller-a-childs-toy-ps3-controller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://www.aoaforums.com/forum/attachments/general-hardware-discussion/15283d1131783216-xbox-360-controller-a-childs-toy-ps3-controller.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really wish people didn't kick off about this. Its supposed to be very natural to hold</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another thing developers/publishers are trying to push
alongside these new motion controllers is 3D. To me 3D enable games are just
developers jumping on the whole 3D bandwagon to milk a bit more extra money
from the ill-informed customer. I don’t believe it adds anything to immersion
or gameplay. Also with the current state of 3d technology and popularity, it
alienates a big percentage of the market because very few households have a 3d
ready tv and some people do not react well to playing 3d games for long periods
of time, if at all ( Im one of these people).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will hand it to some companies <i>trying</i> to do something new, but some of them are really going in
the wrong direction. Take this article for example: <br />
<a href="http://uk.gamespy.com/articles/974/974711p1.html">http://uk.gamespy.com/articles/974/974711p1.html</a><br />
The first one is a helmet you put on to “feel the impact of getting shot in the
head”. Yeah that’s something I really don’t want to experience when
playing a FPS.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-77527418871575652972013-02-18T12:01:00.003-08:002013-03-03T14:33:54.577-08:00The Random Word Story<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So last week we was given 15 different words, we then had 30 seconds to write down any related words to the original word. Then with the string of related words we had to form a semi comprehensible sentence we had to do this with all 15 words. After we had all our sentences we had to make a short story using these sentences.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now because most of the sentences i got were very strange/odd the best thing i could do with them was create a short childrens story, which is what i did. I got to admit, i actually quite enjoyed it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below is the story, enjoy:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Oakbeard And The Egg</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a solar system far far away floats 3 colourful planets.
Each of these planets had a completely different colour, which reflected their
environments. The planet closest to the sun, which is a tiny little thing, is completely covered in a scorching hot
desert, dubbed the ‘Dustball’ it shines with a bright orange glow. The planet furthest from the sun, ‘Deep Blue’,
has a surface of patches of ice surrounded by deep sea. In the middle of these
2 planets is ‘Terragreen’. This planet is filled with lushes green forests. Terragreen
Is the only planet of the 3 to inhabit people, the other 2 just inhabit nasty
monsters trying to survive within their harsh environments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Terragreen is the new home to Oakbeard. Oakbeard was the
captain of a very unique space pirate gang. What made them unique was that they
are made completely out of wood. Oak to be precise. After centuries of treasure
hunting Oakbeard gave it up as he was
getting too old for it, his ageing and infested oak legs couldn’t handle the
running around anymore. So he decided to use his vast knowledge of years of
treasure hunting to become a teacher. He felt that giving back to the community
would make up for all his evil doings as a pirate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oakbeard settled on Terragreen as his new home, and got a
job at the local school as a teacher. As Oakbeard was extremely knowledgably in
his field and always had an interesting story or 2 to tell his classes were
always jammed packed - 45 seats to 75 children. The sad thing is that all his
stories and knowledge was falling on deaf ears as all his students were some of
the most unintelligent children in Terragreen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He decide that just lecturing them in school just wasn’t
doing them any good, they needed to learn in a more practical sense. So he
arrange a fieldtrip to the local forest as the children were currently learning
the ecosystem of Terragreen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was all going well for Oakbeard and his students after a
few hours of being in the forest. His students were actually learning
something, exactly what Oakbeard wanted. But this was about to change. 3 of his
students were getting restless and they decided to wonder off from the pack,
these students were always up to no good. A short while after splitting up from
the main pack they came across a giant black rugby ball, with throbbing veins
across its surface. Kids being kids, they started to toss the ball about and
after a few minutes of the ball being
bashed about it started to rumble, one of the kids dropped it to the
floor. It then started to shake violently, it started to break apart, like
something was hatching from it, and something was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A giant beak broke though the shell, then claws. The kids
started to back off from it, but had their eyes fixated on it. A giant chicken arose
from it, but this chicken was something different – its beak wasn’t connected
to its head, it was floating around its head. The kids froze with shock not
really knowing what to make of it, the chicken took advantage of this and
charge towards the children. The chicken gobbled up 1 of the 3 kids quickly. The last 2 children didn't have any time to process what just happened
and just automatically sprinted off, desperately trying to find to rest of the
group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oakbeard and his group just reach the largest and oldest
tree in the forest ‘Skyscraper’ the locals call it. The remaining 2 children barge through the group of children to reach Oakbeard. They try to spit out what
horrific events just took place to Oakbeard. As doing so the chicken can be
seen charging towards them from the distance. Thinking quickly Oakbeard hurries
the children into the hollow trunk of the giant tree, and rolls a giant stone
to cover to hole. A loud thud can be heard as the chicken collides into the
tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amongst the panic between the children and Oakbeard a tall
green squirrel emerges from the shadows and tries to calm them all down, the
squirrel succeeds after a little while. Little to everyone’s knowledge, even
that of Oakbeard, the tree that they’re sat in is the home of Green Nut – A tall
green squirrel, the oldest and most wisest creature in the forest. He then goes
on to tell them the tale of the ‘chicken and the egg’. The chicken will not rest until it has eaten
the one who disturbed it, the only way to stop it, is to kill it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oakbeard saw this as an opportunity as another way to make
up for his centuries of plundering honest people as a space pirate. He told
Green Nut that he was up to the task to banish the chicken, but his woodworm infested
legs was not. This didn’t faze Green Nut as he had just the thing to bring a
bit of life into his rackety old legs. The silky smooth wig of healing.
Oakbeard was a tad sceptical to start with, but gave it a chance. Green Nut took
off Oakbeards hat and placed the wig on his head. He felt a rush of warmth run
through his body, from head to toe. As this happened his old splintered wooden body
started to change into a solid highly polished wood. He barely remembers the
last time he had a body like that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feeling revitalised Oakbeard pulled out his trusty sword,
which hasn’t seen action for a good few years. He rolls the giant stone to the side
to make a gap he can squeeze through. He jumps out, attempting to lunge at the
chicken which has been stood there all this time, waiting. The chicken dodges Oakbeards
attempt to hit it. The chicken flies upto the higher branches of the Skyscraper
to gain a height advantage, but Oakbeard quickly follows, climbing from branch to
branch. They both settle on one of the highest points of the tree to battle it
out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s lunges and swipes from Oakbeard as he tries to slay
the chicken. But it’s no match for the agile chicken, who can easily dodge his
attacks and tries to counter with a devastating peck. This goes on back and
forth until the heavens started to open up and it started to pour down with
rain, making the mossy branches of the tree slippery. The chicken made its last
lunge for Oakbeard, it slipped, plummeting 100’s of feet to the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oakbeard is greeted by cheers and thanks by his students as he makes his
way down. After moments of pats on the back and hugs from his children he
noticed the slain chicken which lays emotionless on the floor starting to
transform. It starts to form into a giant egg, similar to the one which it came
from, but instead of being black and veiny, it was smooth and gold. This egg
then started to hatch, a hand forced its way through the shell. Large chunks of
shell started to come off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boy ate by the chicken earlier emerged from the egg,
but they were hardly recognizable. Instead of being this, clean fresh faced
child, he is now grotesque, probably down to being half processed by
the chickens stomach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oakbeard thanked Green nut for his help and gathered all the
children to head home. They needed a rest after this ordeal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> No one noticed but as
the child stepped out of the egg, another smaller egg fell out and rolled down the hill. But this
egg was black, similar to the one the 3 kids came across before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The black egg lays there in the forest waiting to be hatched
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cycle continues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-80967116529486940262013-02-05T12:24:00.002-08:002013-02-05T12:25:50.696-08:00Mortal Engines : Done.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://assets.diylol.com/hfs/638/347/88a/resized/mission-complete-meme-generator-mission-complete-6b8e64.jpg?1323460864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://assets.diylol.com/hfs/638/347/88a/resized/mission-complete-meme-generator-mission-complete-6b8e64.jpg?1323460864.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So that massive project is all handed in, finished, kaput. I've
come away with a massive smile.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why? I hear you ask. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The project went really well for me, in terms of the end
product, art quality, learning outcomes and time management, that one
especially. Don’t get me wrong, i've been pretty stressed the last few days but
know where near as much as I used to be, plus I had a lot more on my plate than usual. And that’s
all down to planning. The last week leading up to the project I made daily mile
stones, I didn't go to bed or chill out until they were done, I guess it all
paid off as todays been (relatively) stress free. Definitely going to be
planning my projects like this now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As we had to rig this model I really wanted to show it off, compositionally
anyway. In one of my lectures recently
it was said that triangles are powerful things, so I kept that in mind when
posing my model. I kept the feet wide apart pointing to the bottom corners of
the image. I also incorporated into the design was the bright blue braces which
standout from the brown colours of the model which diagonally runs from the top
to the bottom which helps guides the users eye into the ‘compositional triangle’.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also tried to pose him in a stance that looks like
something has just happened/alerted him and he’s trying to ground himself
against something. (Maybe a Gut Worker revolt?).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-A-ksQo22Y/URFpmsV_GYI/AAAAAAAAAE8/-xBNd_yida4/s1600/Mortalenginescomposistion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-A-ksQo22Y/URFpmsV_GYI/AAAAAAAAAE8/-xBNd_yida4/s400/Mortalenginescomposistion.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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I've taken today as a well deserved rest day, then back to catching up on VD work tomorrow.</div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-75377486407704850422013-01-29T01:25:00.001-08:002013-01-29T01:25:12.036-08:00Mortal Engines Update <br />
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So I’m moving along with this project as quick as I wanted
too, which makes a changed, and because of that I’m feeling less stressed and
motivated – win win situation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since my last post I've managed to get the high and low poly
finished, as well as the unwrapping. Which I've done in a fairly short amount of
time, but im putting that down to using new software I've been meaning to use a
a little while now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The highpoly was mainly made by sculpting and a bit of hard
surface modelling. Hard surface modelling is something I want to do a lot more
of, as it’s a very hard skill to master and because of that, pretty valuable to
potential employers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am happy with the
results, I especially like the boots which were made by hard surface modelling
then touching it up in zbrush. The anatomy’s not too bad, it’s fairly accurate,
but getting that skinny toned look has been troublesome. But I think my biggest
weakness are the folds on the trousers, they don’t look overly natural and don’t
reflect the material too well (which is cotton). Next time ill study more references,
possibly by take a picture of myself wearing them in a pose and use that. Im
tempted to get this too : <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamic-Wrinkles-Drapery-Solutions-Practical/dp/0823015874/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359450304&sr=8-1">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamic-Wrinkles-Drapery-Solutions-Practical/dp/0823015874/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359450304&sr=8-1</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S4toGRs5XKo/UQeTW014kjI/AAAAAAAAAEc/9R0b7hyOiyE/s1600/High+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S4toGRs5XKo/UQeTW014kjI/AAAAAAAAAEc/9R0b7hyOiyE/s320/High+Finished.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The low poly was an absolute breeze for me because of a handy
piece of software called Topogun. This allowed me to import my highpoly and
place each vertices and triangle accurately onto the high poly. What would have
usually taken me 2 days at a push, now takes me a day. Anything to speed up my
workflow i'm happy about.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99MMR0LUwsY/UQeUqtQhPZI/AAAAAAAAAEs/Z960qMHFQF8/s1600/Lowpoly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99MMR0LUwsY/UQeUqtQhPZI/AAAAAAAAAEs/Z960qMHFQF8/s320/Lowpoly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ill be back soon with a texturing update.<o:p></o:p></div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-65578408636391605562013-01-17T01:21:00.001-08:002013-01-17T01:24:20.530-08:00Mortal Engines update - Highpoly<br />
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So I'm getting on with this project and I'm actually enjoying
in quite a lot, interesting themes and its character art. Double win.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I've got my concept pretty much nailed down, but have yet
to produce a final pretty concept as its time to get the modelling done. Below
is a selection of silhouettes I produce, and so far I'm loving number 3, its got an
interesting silhouette and reflects the
character really well – lower class’s work in the guts so they’re skinny, a lot
of skin showing as they work in hot environments, because of this their skin
will be loaded with burns, boils and dirt. Then a few satchels to carry tools,
and a rag stuffed under his braces to wipe away the sweat, and a piece of salvage as <o:p></o:p>jewelry.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zVovN9-cvF4/UPfB56WmCJI/AAAAAAAAAEM/0PGzYx2YToM/s1600/Silhouettes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zVovN9-cvF4/UPfB56WmCJI/AAAAAAAAAEM/0PGzYx2YToM/s320/Silhouettes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Currently I’m in the sculpting stage. This is my first
proper attempt at sculpting someone with a very low fat content (usually I’m
sculpting super buff people or fully clothed people), and I’m having some trouble
with it, especially the back/scapula. Even with a handful of references and a
few anatomy books by my side I’m not 100% satisfied with it. Some parts don’t look natural
– 2 different muscles/bones don’t blend in well (maybe too many hard edges/lines?). But I've been at it too long
and so I've got to move onto the over items to hit my daily milestones,
something I’m determined to do these days. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWPoq6Ip_8c/UPfBTJ9zyZI/AAAAAAAAAEA/R_ceFgdGZCo/s1600/HighWIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWPoq6Ip_8c/UPfBTJ9zyZI/AAAAAAAAAEA/R_ceFgdGZCo/s320/HighWIP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zbrush sculpt WIP</td></tr>
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Should have the final highpoly done in the next few days.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-86068200217711707412013-01-10T14:20:00.003-08:002013-01-10T14:21:45.855-08:00Sound in video games<br />
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<a href="http://gentlemint.com/media/images/2012/03/21/35be1c24.jpg.650x650_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://gentlemint.com/media/images/2012/03/21/35be1c24.jpg.650x650_q85.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sound in games is overlooked a lot these day by the ‘casual
gamer’. When a new game comes out and we talk about it, it’s usually ‘Ah man
the graphics are amazing’. I’ve never heard ‘The sound is amazing’ or the like.
Which is a shame, as audio in games is just as important as the visuals, and in
some cases it’s more important, as I find sound effects entice more intense
emotion than anything visually. But they don’t get appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sound in games has come a long way since its beginning in the
70s. As technology improves so does the sound. When you played games in the
arcade the only sounds you got was to notify you that you fired your weapon or
just died, and the difference between these sounds was a Bleep or a Bloop. Fast
forward 40 years and we have a whole range of sounds, from ambient bird
chirping and the crunching snow as you walk on it to bassy explosions and full orchestrated
scores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Sound engineers back
in the beginning of gaming had to actually program the sounds into the chip,
which would play when triggered by an event. Now when and how to play the sound
is all developed by the game engine. Game
engines can fade several different sounds in and out at the same time depending
of what the player is doing, making a wide variety of sounds. Below is an interesting
snippet about it with a sound engineer from Namco Bandai's Cook or Be
Cooked:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I tied [RTPC] in
with the cooking times, so when a steak sizzles, it actually sounds more
realistic than fading in a loop over time. This allowed me to actually change
the state of the sound needed over time to give a more realistic representation
of the food cooking as its visual state changed. It's totally subtle, and most
people will never notice it, but there's actually a pretty complicated process
going on behind that curtain.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I (had) roughly four states per cookable object that went from
beginning, all the way through burned. There were loops for each of those
states that fed into each other. These were also modified with one-shots -- for
example, flipping an object or moving it to the oven. We tried to provide as
much variation as we could fit into the game, so almost every sound has a
random container accompanied with it."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sound has always been about to support and enhance the
players experience. Unlike films, sound engineers/designers have to create
music and sounds that are influenced by the player. So for example when a
player fires a gun you can hear the startled birds by flying away, then after
words there’s an eerie silence and you can only hear the natural environment
around you, no wild life. Before the gun being let off you can hear the hustle
and bustle of the jungle. This adds so much to the experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve notice in some games players seem to lust for a certain
sound, and they’ll keep playing to get that sound, that satisfaction. For instance,
the COD series – Shooting and hitting an enemy online gives off a ‘tick’ sound,
and something about it is so nice to hear, you want to keep playing to hear it
again, making the game more addicting. So addicting I’ve read personal reviews
of similar titles where people would complain saying there’s no hit sound. It’s
also used to great effect in MMOs and RPGs when you level up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/A37FSfEkcIA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Top 5 Memorable sound is games.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are many top name composers working in the game industry
at the moment, some of my personal favourites are (in order):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Harry Gregson Williams - Famous for composing the
Metal Gear Solid series <span style="line-height: 115%;">as
well as many </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">Hollywood</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> hits</span> which is known for its superb cinematic feel, which
the music and sound really help to sell. Many epic moments ive played in the
MGS series I remember because of the music.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Jeff van Dyck – Composed the Total War series. I
Really love his work. Total War takes place across the roman empire, middle ages
and feudal japan. All of these eras have very different sounds, and Dyck replicates
them perfectly, and you truly feel immersed in the game.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Nobuo
Uematsu - Who composed pretty much all the Final Fantasy’s out there. Again
just like the others, the </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">orchestral score helps make the player have an
emotional connection the story and characters.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;"> <span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">Koji Kondo - Composing most of Nintendo’s franchises
over the years, such as the Zelda and Mario series. Both very emotional games.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lm881caBFW4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many games who have top notch composers (like the above) </span>on board<span style="font-family: inherit;"> usually release a separate game soundtrack album as the music is so good it can hold its own as an album, and many people go out to buy it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Good Times by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards has been one
of the most influential tracks about,
despite the ‘Disco sucks’ trend 1979 it still reached number one in the
charts. It also kicked off hip hop popularity in the 80’s, and because of that
it’s become one of the most sample tracks in rap ad hip hop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Useful links:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.musicproductioncourses.net/computer-games-a-new-era-for-sound-design-and-music/">http://www.musicproductioncourses.net/computer-games-a-new-era-for-sound-design-and-music/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4257/the_next_big_steps_in_game_sound_.php">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4257/the_next_big_steps_in_game_sound_.php</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.gamesradar.com/10-great-video-game-composers/">http://www.gamesradar.com/10-great-video-game-composers/</a></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_Rodgers">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_Rodgers</a></div>
<br />Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-53073398303127146032013-01-08T07:21:00.002-08:002013-01-08T07:29:53.371-08:00Start of the Mortal Engines character.<br />
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So I've been waiting for this project since last year, it’s
been a long time coming. I've always had a massive passion for character art
and just want to create characters all the time. Pity the course doesn't have
more character based projects as I think they are a great way to learn game art
as they’re so complex. But on the flip side it can be overwhelming at times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://guygonegeek.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/mortal_engines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://guygonegeek.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/mortal_engines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So for this project we have to create a character inspired
by the book, Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. I read this book through the
summer, and while it is a pretty tame book it does a great job of painting a
mental picture of characters and environments. Which is a concoction of Victorian
post-apocalyptic steam punk (mouthful..)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before jumping the gun and I start modelling, I’m going to
do extensive research as I really want this piece to shine. I’m currently re
reading the book to jog my memory, and I’m gathering inspiration from similar themed
films, I've just watched ‘Book of Eli’ and maybe
later ill dive into the Mad Max films. As I’m surrounding myself with sources
of inspiration I’m making many notes, and creating moodboards (see below). So
far I’m liking the ‘Salvage Men’ in the book, who work in the gut of London surrounded
by fumes and fire as they dismantle and salvage anything from the recently
consumed city/town. I think it’ll be fun to really play on their poor, dirty
twistedness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GsOjR9gupY0/UOw5P0EWxUI/AAAAAAAAADo/y2zCmzqICiA/s1600/Moodboard+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GsOjR9gupY0/UOw5P0EWxUI/AAAAAAAAADo/y2zCmzqICiA/s320/Moodboard+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F2y4fxeVPa8/UOw5T61mMaI/AAAAAAAAADw/47X9Q4vOZqI/s1600/Moodboard+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F2y4fxeVPa8/UOw5T61mMaI/AAAAAAAAADw/47X9Q4vOZqI/s320/Moodboard+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ill be posting some basic concepts within the next few days.
Check back.<o:p></o:p></div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-1198400674993919332013-01-07T01:19:00.003-08:002013-01-07T01:19:37.332-08:00New Year, New Semester, New me<br />
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<a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/dotAsset/2685437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://new.oberlin.edu/dotAsset/2685437.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think ive made this post several times, but this is the
last time, promise. I’m sick of feeling like this. This is also the last self pity post im making too.</div>
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So while being dropped off from home to uni by my brother I had a 2 – 2.5
hour lecture/motivational speech. While he does go on, he does have a point,
several of them. He gave me several tips on how he deals demotivation which I think
is my biggest problem. One of them is to think about how not doing that bit of
work now means you’ll have to deal with it later, so something else might not
get down, which means ill fail at the module, then maybe the course, then what
do I do if that happens? Basically I got to think of all the negative things
which could happen and their knock on effects if I don’t do it, and that’ll motivate me to do that piece of
work. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Im going to start the gym back up too. I did it over the
summer and I just felt mentally better and motivated. Its seems to set me up
for the day if I do it in the morning, which im going to need as the work load
is increasing this semester. Healthy eating too, my brain needs food, and its
not cheap pizza, burger and chips. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Oh yeah, and 'Man up' too.</div>
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I’ll be putting all of these into place asap. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Expect a new blog post soon.</div>
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Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-50983902429759319592013-01-04T09:26:00.000-08:002013-01-04T09:26:00.674-08:00Documentation<br />
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Even though we are art students, so we communicate mainly
through visual means it doesn’t mean we shouldn't can’t use words to
communicate ideas. Sometimes reading something is just more clear cut than
pictures, it gets to the point straight away, especially for technical stuff. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We have these documents
to explain areas which pictures cant. Such as technical specification,
target market, story, gameplay elements, funding etc. Its these documents which
gets your game approved and funded in a professional setting, so if you can’t
do this well then you won’t be producing your game.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Documentation in my third year is going to be a major aspect
of all the work I have to do. So to get some practice in (as practice makes
perfect) im going to produce a small document on a game ive always wanted to
produce. Due to some lucky circumstances I kinda did when I joined an indie
team, but like with 95% of indie teams
we disbanded and the game was left 25%
finished - it was still an experience nevertheless.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Project Outline<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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To create a fast paced, online, third person action game
based around the height of the roman empire conquering Britain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Up to 64 players (32 players each side) choose to play as
either the Roman Legion or Barbarians, with the choice of 4 classes each side supporting
different play styles. Players battle it out through several match types to
earn experience to upgrade their class and attributes, as well as cosmetic appearance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FL-vTdlaH7M/UOcQaXLGHjI/AAAAAAAAADY/b0dPYdx1Jds/s1600/battleColorTestt(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FL-vTdlaH7M/UOcQaXLGHjI/AAAAAAAAADY/b0dPYdx1Jds/s320/battleColorTestt(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PC exclusive to provide an excellent online gaming
experience with superb visual quality, and to keep costs down to a minimum
(less licensing costs) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rated 18 -To offer the most realistic experience to the player
(War is not pretty)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Software – 3DS Max, Photoshop, Zbrush and UDK.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Learning Outcomes<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
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Create realistic character models<br />
Historically accurate weapons and armours<br />
Photo realistic textures<br />
Strong player silhouettes to differentiate between classes easily <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Technical
Specification<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Lead Character</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the base model the players chooses between a selection
of pre made head and hair types for each class to stick on the body. (This
keeps art quality high compared to ‘feature sliders’ while still having a
personal touch for the player).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heads - ~2000 tris with 512*512 Diffuse/Specular/Normal<br />
Hair - ~300 tris with 256*256 Diffuse/Alpha<br />
Body - ~6000 tris with 1024*1024 Diffuse/Specular/Normal<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Depending on what class the player picks, and the level of
their class , the armour and weapon specification can change, but the max is as
follows:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Armour - ~4000 tris
with 1024*1024 Diffuse/Specular/Normal/Alpha<br />
Helmet - ~ 1000 tris with 512*512 Diffuse/Specular/Normal/Alpha<br />
Weapons - ~ 750 tris with 512*512
Diffuse/Specular/Normal/Alpha<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>NPC</li>
</ul>
<br />
As this is an online only game there is not many NPCs, but one of the levels is
based inside a gladiatorial arena. The stadium is filled with a crowd, 100s of
NPCs. As there are so many NPCs the poly/texture budget has to be very small so
not to effect performance.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
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Male - ~ 1100 tris with 512*512 Diffuse/Normal<br />
Female - ~ 1100 tris with 512*512 Diffuse/Normal<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.cmcdn.net/12543797/940x842.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://media.cmcdn.net/12543797/940x842.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of the male crowd character</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Vehicle</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Players who reach a certain level will unlock a horse to use.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Horse - ~ 5000 tris with 1024*1024
Diffuse/Specular/Normal/Alpha<br />
Equipment - ~ 500 tris with 512*512 Diffuse/Specular/Normal/Alpha<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Environment</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There will be many different environments to reflect Britain
at the time, such as thick forests, mountain ranges, small villages, fortifications
and gladiatorial arenas. Triangle and texture budgets for these level would
differ greatly as some levels have more detail than others.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aQgP1FQgZ2M/UOcP_oDjRfI/AAAAAAAAADQ/gMxQ5QnXbYI/s1600/Arena2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aQgP1FQgZ2M/UOcP_oDjRfI/AAAAAAAAADQ/gMxQ5QnXbYI/s320/Arena2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gladiatorial arena in its early development stage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Props</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many props will be scattered around the environment to make
it more visually appealing. Below is just a few examples of them:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Selection of clay pots - ~ 1000 triangles with
512*512 Diffuse/Specular/Normal</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">
Tools - ~ 1000 triangles with 512*512 Diffuse/Specular/Normal</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">
Crates - ~ 500 triangles with 512*512 Diffuse/Specular/Normal</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.cmcdn.net/12551742/940x743.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://media.cmcdn.net/12551742/940x743.webp" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-4188624082118581932012-12-31T07:16:00.006-08:002012-12-31T07:16:50.429-08:00Game Engines<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So all those pretty games we play are all developed within
game engines, they bring together all the elements of a game such as art
assets, animation, AI, GUI, sound, networking and programming and they make the
final product you play. They’re pretty cool things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Game engines are Marmite.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I think no one will deny the fuzzy warm feeling of
accomplishment you get when you get your model running in engine, and you know
that’s exactly how it’ll look in a game. And then having the ability to run
around you model and shoot at it is great. Love it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JxLj13jVP_0/UOGqfLX2OPI/AAAAAAAAADA/97ms1Ganaqg/s1600/UDK.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JxLj13jVP_0/UOGqfLX2OPI/AAAAAAAAADA/97ms1Ganaqg/s320/UDK.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bliss</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But to get to that point is like climbing a mountain in a
wheelchair. The interface of these engines is so confusing, loaded with icons
and words left, right and centre. After importing your model its then a game of
problem solving trying to figure out why this and that doesn’t work and why
you’re getting error messages nonstop, nothing
ever runs smoothly. Hate it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are many game engines on the market to pick from, from
hobbyist, to indie, to professional. But I’m going to focus on the three main
engines on the market (UDK, Cryengine and Unity) and list the pros and cons of
each.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>UDK<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://screenshots.en.sftcdn.net/en/scrn/89000/89315/unreal-development-kit-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://screenshots.en.sftcdn.net/en/scrn/89000/89315/unreal-development-kit-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
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The biggest player out of the three, also been round the
longest. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Games using UDK : Gears of war, Mass effect, XCOM,
Borderlands, Medal of honour, Dishonored.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Costs : Free for non-commercial license. $99 upfront then
25% in royalties after the first $5000 for commercial license<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros: <o:p></o:p></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Large developer community and documentation –
easier to solve any issues you run into.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Very versatile
shaders – ability to create any sort of art style you want, from cell
shaded (borderlands) to photo realistic (Medal of honor)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Work on a variety of platforms – Pcs, consoles
and iOS.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Monthly updates – new features are being added
all the time to stay ahead of the competition</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Low cost license fees make it ideal for indie
companies</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Confusing interface</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Before playing your level you have to build
paths, lighting, AI etc. Can take a very long time.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Poor lighting systems – only allows 4 dynamic
lights (Better for indoor scenes)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cryengine<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://myona.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/CryENGINE-3-Free-SDK_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://myona.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/CryENGINE-3-Free-SDK_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The new kid on the block, but packs a punch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Games using Cryengine: Crysis, Mechwarrior, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Costs : Free for non-commercial license. Contact Crytek for
upfront cost then 20% in royalties for commercial license.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">WYSIWYG editor – ability to see the final
results of your assets in the viewport in realtime, no </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">need to build
paths/lighting. Quicker Workflow.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Better lighting systems - a lights are dynamic (Better
for outdoor scenes)</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Limited to PCs and Consoles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Small community and documentation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Editor can run slow due to realtime viewport.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Need to be connected to the internet to run</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Unity<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/mecanim-640x471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/mecanim-640x471.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not eveyones first choice, but is worth taking a look.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Games using Unity: Temple Run, Castle Story, Battlestar
Galactica Online<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Costs: Basic version is free. Pro version is $1,500 (plus
any additional add-ons). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pros:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Largest developer community and documentation
out of the three – any issues can be answered</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Works on many platforms – PCs, Consoles, iOS,
Andriod and Web browsers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">No royalties for any commercial release</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cons:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span>Additional costs if you need more advanced
features or need to develop for mobile platforms</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Lighting/rendering not as advance as UDK/Cryengine</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Refrences:</div>
<div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://unity3d.com/">http://unity3d.com/</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.unrealengine.com/udk/">http://www.unrealengine.com/udk/</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://mycryengine.com/"> http://mycryengine.com/</a> </div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.psu.com/a006835/CryEngine-3-vs-Unreal-Engine-3-Comparison">http://www.psu.com/a006835/CryEngine-3-vs-Unreal-Engine-3-Comparison</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=21471.0">http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=21471.0</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://fragileearthstudios.com/2011/10/24/comparing-cryengine-and-unreal-and-unity-too/">http://fragileearthstudios.com/2011/10/24/comparing-cryengine-and-unreal-and-unity-too/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-71940155572911315902012-12-22T10:30:00.004-08:002012-12-22T10:30:45.336-08:00Level Design<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first time I heard of the job title ‘level designer’ my first thought of their role was
to make pretty levels pretty, and thought to myself ‘Hell yeah that seems easy!
I wanna do that when im older’. But after progressing with this course and game
art in general I can say I massively misunderstood their role. Their job is
basically make the level playable, interesting, support gameplay elements AND
make it all look pretty….seems like a challenging job, but interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Level designers go through several stages to reach the final
goal, just like any other artist. Reading through an interview with a level designer
(<a href="http://level-design.org/?page_id=917">http://level-design.org/?page_id=917</a>)
ive put together a short typical workflow:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Idea
generation</b> – From the brief of the mission/objective you generate ideas
that the player can encounter (enemy engagements, puzzles, checkpoints, item
placement etc.).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Get an
idea of player progression throughout the</b> <b>level</b> – piece all the above encounters in a more fleshed out way. Get an idea of how,
when and where the player will encounter these within the level.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Whiteboxing</b>
– create a very basic level mainly with 3d primitives to get an idea how the
level works with the implemented gameplay elements.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Playtest</b>
– Get players feedback on what works and what doesn’t, make any amends.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Polish </b>–
After everything is set in stone it’s time to make things pretty. Turns those
ugly whitebox models into fully fledge 3d porn.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A good level designer will design the level in such a way
that the player always knows where he can and cannot go within the level, and
to also make sure they watch important events unravel in game. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This can be produced in several different ways, some are
cleverly done, others not so much. Say for example the player needs to go down
a certain path to continue the mission, the level designer could show trees falling over, blocking the
other paths so the player only has one option, or something with a colour that
stands out from the rest of the scene near the path that can provoke the player
to take a gander. Even though these ideas are a tad unoriginal it is still
better than a giant red arrow showing where the player has to go (which ive
seen in way too many games) this way also breaks immersion for the player. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://skyrealtyventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Red-arrow-pointing-down.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://skyrealtyventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Red-arrow-pointing-down.png" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing says realism like a giant red arrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They can also use similar techniques to make sure the player
sees important set pieces. Like in FEAR, the player has to go down a ladder to
continue on, and while doing so the player gets a quick glimpse of Alma, the
scary ghost girl which the player never expects. This was brilliantly done and
scared the hell out of me when I first played it (and second, third and fourth
time).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Check it out: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo7HA7Y89XI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo7HA7Y89XI</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Birds are effectively used a lot in games to draw the
players eye to a certain point within the environment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vg-leveldesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/hl2ep2_robot2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://www.vg-leveldesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/hl2ep2_robot2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds fly off to get the attention of the player to introduce a new enemy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Some of the most memorable games I’ve played always played
on human emotions and fears (works especially well in horror games). For
instants I’m not the greatest fan of tight spaces, but games like FEAR and
Amnesia thrive on your fear of this and puts the player in dark narrow
corridors making the player feel trapped and vulnerable, making those scary
moment even more scarier. Good games.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/wYyNhBa714U/mqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/wYyNhBa714U/mqdefault.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No way out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good level designers also have an attention to detail making
their levels interesting to look at, as games are a visual medium, so its nice
to have something nice and pretty to look at and appreciate while you complete
your tasks. Even people with no art interest can still appreciate all the
little details in the environment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Replay ability is important in levels and games in general
too. Designing levels in a certain way where the player can tackle a problem in
several methods will mean the player will go back to try something different on
the second/third play through. All this makes the game seem a lot longer than
it actually is. Although sometimes level designs get lazy : I remember back in
the day when racing games use to make the player race round the track in the
other direction, which ‘doubles’ the amount of tracks the game has. Then there’s
procedural generated levels, don’t get me started on these…. ‘An infinite amount
of levels’, yeah maybe so, but it’s an infinite amount of boring ass levels… <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Level design, Serious business.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Interesting links:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.vg-leveldesign.com/articles/">http://www.vg-leveldesign.com/articles/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6411/designing_better_levels_through_.php?print=1">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6411/designing_better_levels_through_.php?print=1</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-29589322474504840022012-12-13T07:53:00.000-08:002012-12-13T07:53:43.484-08:00Composition<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Composition is just a fancy word for how elements are
arrange within a scene. Sound simple? Yes it does. But putting it in practice is a different story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now on the surface this might not sound that important when
creating a picture/painting, and you might hastily think that super awesome rendering skills with
a pencil is something way more important than this silly “composition”. But
after seeing a wide range of the good, the bad and the ugly of a good few pictures
I can say composition is <i>very</i>
important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Good composition keeps the viewers attention, and surely
that’s what the artist wants. They want all their years of hard work to master
their abilities and art to be appreciated. Or they just want them to buy it,
yeah maybes it’s that - the more they
look at it , generally the more they like it, so they’re more likely to buy it.
Money makes the world go round and all… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Composition can be put into several categories/rules, these
are : <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Line<br />
Shape<br />
Colour<br />
Texture<br />
Form<br />
Value<br />
Space<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">These rules are not something you can ‘just get’ and apply
awesomeness to all your paintings. It takes time to learn them, understand
them, and apply them correctly. Analysing paintings from the masters to see
what they did and why will help you progress at a quicker pace. And as a side
benefit you’ll also start to appreciate art more too. For instance I’ve seen a few paintings I
liked when I was younger, like “Composition with Red Blue Yellow”, and some I
just thought “Really? That’s art?!” aka the works of Piet Mondrian . But I
never knew why, but now that I understand the techniques, like the golden
rectangle, I can see the hard work and thought process behind these paintings,
making me appreciate them more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classic-design24.com/it/media/images/composition_with_red_blue_y_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.classic-design24.com/it/media/images/composition_with_red_blue_y_big.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An hour lecture changed my opinion of this from WTF?! to Woah</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Look at books, good book on composition. Santa bring me
this: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-Composition-Techniques-Principles-Dramatically/dp/1581809247/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1353453256&sr=8-3">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-Composition-Techniques-Principles-Dramatically/dp/1581809247/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1353453256&sr=8-3</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A bit of researching of good vs. bad composition threw up
some interesting reads. A good link I found was here <a href="http://digital-lighting.150m.com/ch07lev1sec3.html">http://digital-lighting.150m.com/ch07lev1sec3.html</a>
(It has other pages which are worth a
read, but the link deals with just composition) It goes through what makes a
particular image bad, and how changing something very minor has a major impact,
compositionally. Another golden link <o:p></o:p></span><a href="http://sevencamels.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/10-minute-art-school-composition-101.html">http://sevencamels.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/10-minute-art-school-composition-101.html</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">After a bit of more of an understanding of composition from
research and a lecture I tried to put some of these techniques into my latest
digital paint of Bradgate. The painting is finished, but at a later date when I
have time I would like to revisit it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Jez8hIl6dA/UMn3iiglteI/AAAAAAAAACw/3jjE0WAtl58/s1600/Final_Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Jez8hIl6dA/UMn3iiglteI/AAAAAAAAACw/3jjE0WAtl58/s320/Final_Blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve listed the points in the painting below on the compositional
techniques ive put and noticed in the painting:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A – There are a series of swooping lines which guide the
users eye to the vanishing point, such as the brick walls and the line of trees
with fencing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">B – Gives the viewer a sense of depth, trees were not this
uniform in real life, but to get a better sense of depth I used artistic license
to arrange these trees more uniformly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">C - I’ve made a tonal gradient from dark in the bottom right
to light in the top left<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">D - There are different focal points across the image, such
as the stone bridge in the bottom left and the tress to the right, disappearing
into the vanishing point. All of these points keeps the viewers eyes wondering
around the image (not aimlessly though) making it interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When selecting what picture I wanted to paint I wanted my
gut instinct/artistic eye make the judgement of which one had the best
composition. It’s hard to explain, but when looking at pictures/paintings with
bad composition it feels like your eyes are straining, I guess this is your
brain trying to recognise patterns within the picture but cant. On the flip
side you get a fuzzy feeling when you look at something nice. So when I get
that feeling, I go for it. That is why I selected the above painting rather
than the other 200 photos I took at Bradgate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I get further and further into this course
and learn more about it I will be able create/arrange images to really sell my
artwork more than at the moment.</span></span>Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-68955835741417286542012-10-24T13:24:00.001-07:002012-10-24T13:25:41.469-07:00Work PlanI kept my promise, although a bit later than expected (better late than never comes to mind).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So in one of my latest blog posts i said i feel like i'm slightly lagging behind with work. So i decided to make a plan.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This plan gives me enough time to focus on my projects (3D, VD and critical studies), as well as a bit for personal development. I've made Friday a buffer day as i always find i need more time for work, so ill dedicate that do to catch up on any outstanding work. But if by some miracle i don't need to do any work on Friday than ill use it as a rest/personal development day. Buts its not all work and no play, I've left my weekends free, as this is usually when i visit my girlfriend. I see my weekends as a reward - work hard throughout the week and i get to see my girlfriend.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyway, here's the plan, crudely put together, but it works:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OhrjrMzVmLY/UIhOTuxStxI/AAAAAAAAACc/2UpOHp6mEzA/s1600/Plan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OhrjrMzVmLY/UIhOTuxStxI/AAAAAAAAACc/2UpOHp6mEzA/s400/Plan.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ill keep you guys posted on how well its working. </div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-43215744901953429102012-10-24T11:26:00.001-07:002012-10-24T11:26:25.243-07:00Thought process of a professional artist<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After reading an
article on the process of creating a concept, and then discussing it with my
fellow peers I have come up with 5 rules of an ideal thought process when creating art.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have prioritised these from most important to least (but
is still important in the grand scheme of things) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">The 5 p’s</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s <b>p</b>roper <b>p</b>lanning <b>p</b>revents <b>p</b>oor <b>p</b>erformance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is one of only a few sayings I actually like and try (especially
lately) try to live too. The whole idea of planning is to set yourself targets
and deadlines so you achieve you end
goal as efficiently as possible. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If this crucial stage isn't done you spend the first few
days of your project doing nothing as you think ‘ah 4 weeks is ages, I can
easily so it in 2, so I’ll leave it a few days then start’. Then you start and
notice the project is a lot bigger/time consuming then you first thought, and
you run into problems you never saw happening but they always crop up, so now something
which you wanted done in 1 will now take 2 days, which pushes the whole project
back. And if you have a non-negotiable
deadline you’re going to start taking shortcuts and your work <i>will</i> suffer for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From the little
experience I already have I have notice this always happens to me. So now when I
plan I make buffer days to combat this. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Planning is a major skill in anything anyone does, without it,
the world would be a mess. All the following points can be loosely based in the
planning stage. That is why its number 1 for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/1328735510880_3026438.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/1328735510880_3026438.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This poster should be in every workplace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">References</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As fantastic and mysterious as the brain is, it can only
think up so much, you’re gonna need references to help you out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Actually scrap that, don’t do anything without reference. Reference
is key! No matter how much you think you might know your brain doesn't exactly
know how the folds on a silk cloth is going to deform while its covering a body,
or how high polished metal reflects the environment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is why we gather
references. Also don’t use your lack of references as an excuse because you’re
creating something non-realistic i.e. anime. Even that still follows basic proportion, form
and confirms to physics. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Realistic or not, you need reference. Be it from taking
pictures yourself, setting up lighting rigs or draping clothes over objects,
heck Google images is better than nothing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Rip yourself a new one</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
People need to learn to be more self-critical and not get
emotionally attached to their work. If they’re too attached to their work all
they’ll do is look passed all the flaws in what they've produced, thus not
really learning much from it. You need to stand back at the end of your project
and analysis everything about it – What could have I done better? Why didn't I spend
more time on that? That looks wrong, but why?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being critical on other person or your own work will help
improve your artistic eye.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://guyism.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/being-critical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://guyism.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/being-critical.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hmmmm don't be too harsh on yourself or other though</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gimme </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">a
brief!</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A Brief will set out a line of objectives or goals to do by
a certain time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Without briefs we would be pretty lost in what to create ,
or what constraints we have to work too. And to a certain extent it would make the
whole project very difficult to plan. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If no brief existed between you and your client it will make things very difficult. If they don’t write a brief but just give you a general
idea of what they want then you’d go off creating what you want to an extent,
which might not be exactly what the client wants, so you then have to rework
it. So everything you did before was wasted time, and as we all know (especially
in this industry) time is money. So you need that brief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even if it’s just a personal
project, write a brief for yourself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Work it at the thumbnails/keep it simple</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As easy as it is to jump into Max/Photoshop to create your
idea you must fight your lust to do that and start of by creating quick
sketches/ideas, aka thumbnails. This is so you can experiment with designs in a
very quick way. You’ll find that very rarely your first idea will look good, or
even work, you need to flesh out these ideas. There’s a saying: <i>If it doesn't work at postage stamp size,
then it won’t work at any size.</i> This is very true, you can tell when
something <i>just works, </i>and its better to the reach that stage with only ~30 minutes
of work, rather than 30 hours. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right, I think I’m done here.<o:p></o:p></div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-18967359810632565652012-10-18T04:38:00.000-07:002012-10-18T04:38:47.979-07:00Things aren’t quite going to plan<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So since my last blog update I said I was hoping to do work
pretty much all the time so I can develop my skills faster. Well I have been
keeping to it more or less things aren't going as well as expected, here’s the problem
– I seem to be lagging behind with work already, which is an awful start to
this year. And it’s not to do with not putting the effort in.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As proof I've not been procrastinating (well not
proof, but I guess you’ll have to take my word for it) I just got up, showered,
had breakfast and I’m typing this before I go off to my morning lecture in 20 minutes,
I would usually use this time to browse something stupid on the interwebs or
something. But that’s the old me, this is the new me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think one of the
main culprits of this ‘lack of work’ is that I’m starting to try out different
techniques for digital painting - researching
it then putting it into practice, which takes time. I could never get to grips
with it last year so I’m determined to this year, and to also find my painting
style. Maybe this is the lull I have to work through before I see the benefits
of the work to pay off. I just have to make sure I don’t loss my momentum and
get demotivated, which could happen easily. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think I might have deluded myself :/. I’m telling myself I’m
keeping to a plan, but actually I’m not, I’ll work for 10 minutes then procrastinate
for 15. The work plan I have is just in my head not on paper, so maybe I don’t feel
it’s real, so I don’t follow it? I don’t know. But what I’m going to do is knock up a plan on paper in a
couple of days. Hopefully because its real I’ll keep to it….well that’s the
idea. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Expect an update with a plan in the next few days, until then
I got some work to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-62895385245197058562012-10-11T01:14:00.000-07:002012-10-11T01:14:10.728-07:00Attitude change for year 2, and for life.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So I've had a whole 5 months of summer
to change my attitude towards work, relax and get my motivation back.
Even though its my first week back i'm buzzing, I just want to do
work, and do it well. Just scraping through into the second year has
really put everything into perspective, and how lucky I am. I'm not
wasting this opportunity.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As I type this I just got back from a
lecture, the first thing I did when I got back home was grab a drink
and fire up Microsoft Word and start brain farting/ babbling
everywhere, and you are reading the results of it. Go back 365 days
ago, as soon as I was given a task, like this one, which the deadline
is week away, I would start it the night before it was to be handed
in, frantically typing whatever comes to my mind just to get something
down, just to say 'i've done it' which results in pretty poor quality
work.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Even though it's early days so far with
all my projects/work I have been set I have started on the day it has
been giving. Usually with the first day planning how and when I’m
going to do certain bits of it, setting myself personal deadlines. So
far its working well, I just need to stick at it for the rest of the
year. This is going to be a hard habit to break, I've never been that
good/caring when it comes to planning but I know it is a habit I have
to break, no question.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
One of my changes I want to make this
year is to make better use of my time, going back home is around an 8
hour round trip, that’s 8 hours I could be doing something
productive instead of staring out the window on the train. I plan to
use this time to read drawing/art related books.
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Figure-Drawing-All-its-Worth/dp/0857680986">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Figure-Drawing-All-its-Worth/dp/0857680986</a>
– i'm going to start here. Even the little things are going to make
a difference, such as I plan to have a small sketchbook in the
kitchen, so while I’m waiting for my food to cook I can doodle in
the sketchbook. It’ll be just a quick 5-10 minute sketch but over
the academic year that’ll add up to 25 hours (yes I did the
maths....) that’s 2.5 credits right there! I spend a long time speaking to my girlfriend everyday on the phone, so i'm using this time to doodle/ do some drawings, although i am finding that she's getting mad at me for not listening :/. Its little things like
this which will get me a decent job after I graduate.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I've also had the summer to change my
mindset, I wasted too much time last year playing games and watching
stuff on tv, while this is not a bad thing as these mediums can be
another source of inspiration, the quantity I watched/played ate into
work time too often. This will really be put to the test this month
and next as many games I have been waiting for come out. Ill keep you
posting about my progress.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To symbolise and motivate me to keep me
on this new path I have ordered this poster:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://weresoinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MPW-35061.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://weresoinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MPW-35061.jpeg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This now hangs proudly on my wall above my computer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Thanks for reading!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969659162929348377.post-21089635463095966462012-05-04T06:36:00.000-07:002012-05-04T06:36:10.352-07:00End of year 1. Done.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Whhhhooooooooosssshhhhh!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
That’s the sound of the first year
going by, too quick for my liking. It really feels like it was just
last month I was down at the canal sketching some terrible drawings,
when in fact it was 7 months ago.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This year has gone so quickly, I feel
like I haven’t really done anything, but then I look through all 3
of my sketchbooks and all my 3D work on my pc and realise i've done a
lot, a ton, a stupid amount of work. But I know this isn’t enough,
and if I carry on like this I know that ill probably see no future in
the games industry as an artist. We was warned very early on by the
tutors that as a group and an individual i wasn’t producing enough
work, this was before the Christmas break. For a lot of people this
“arse kicking” sunk in and they did something about it. While for
me it didn’t sink in enough and I didn’t pick up the quantity of
work I was doing that much. Only around 8 weeks ago did it hit me,
and it hit me bloody hard, ive been given such an opportunity to do
something with my life, by getting a job in something I love doing,
and ive nearly (but hopefully not) ruined it. I was warned several
times by the tutors but didnt really take any notice of it.... I wish
I did. Because if I did, I wouldn’t be feeling like crap with the
massive worry in my head that I might not get into the second year.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If any future first years are reading
this I want you to take bit of advice from me so you wont end up in
the crap situation I’m in - work hard, push yourself and listen to
your tutors, give 3 years of hard work of your life and you’ll be
sorted for the rest of it. 3 years is nothing. NOTHING.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Although I haven’t worked as hard as
I would’ve liked, I feel like a have progress massively with
drawing. Prior to this course ive never had any formal art education,
the only drawing I used to do was the few odd doodles while on the
phone, ive never put any serious amount of hours in any drawings. But
because of this course and how its pushed me to do something I never
really liked doing, I'm beginning to understand the fundamentals of
what makes a drawing correct/good, and because of this I’m starting
to enjoy drawing because I can (to a degree) get what’s in my head
down on paper. Over the summer Im going to build on this so I can
begin the second year with a stronger drawing ability.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Over Easter I redid several of my first
drawings before the final submission, and its clear I have progressed
at drawing, which does lifts up my spirits a tad, but I know there is
still some ways to go. Below is the new and old drawing of the canal
final, hopefully you can tell which one is the new one:
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GSnHMwLqvsU/T6PTk2H8EYI/AAAAAAAAACI/lk47WFr91Sw/s1600/Canal+Final+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GSnHMwLqvsU/T6PTk2H8EYI/AAAAAAAAACI/lk47WFr91Sw/s400/Canal+Final+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jwPnw80AsEU/T6PTikTD81I/AAAAAAAAACA/PpTuCzDdqds/s1600/Canal+Final+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jwPnw80AsEU/T6PTikTD81I/AAAAAAAAACA/PpTuCzDdqds/s400/Canal+Final+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I came into the 3D side strong at the
beginning of this course and I’m leaving even stronger. Even though
I’ve been self teaching myself 3d for a good few years I have
missed out some basic work flow techniques. But this course has
taught me these fundamentals, and now I feel even more confident in
my 3D ability.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Right, that’s enough of me talking
about my downfalls, time to talk about the courses downfalls:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Visual Design.</div>
<ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
More teaching on drawing
techniques – I know this course is heavily focused on self study
but sometimes I didn’t know where to go to find out the
fundamentals of drawing. I've been pointed to the K drive with 100's
of books on drawing, but where do I start, I felt out of my depth at
times.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
More feedback - I understand
there is a lot of us, and one on one feedback is for all of us in
pretty much impossible, but sometimes I don’t know if i'm going in
the right direction. I was given an inadequate in my first
assessment with no feedback to really work on, so I just kept on
plodding along doing what I thought was right, which hasn’t worked
out well for me. So maybe a bit more detailed feedback for the
assessments would be doable instead of consent feedback for all
students.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Game Production
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Video tutorials – Although the
written tutorials are great sometimes they can be hard to follow
especially for people who are 100% new to the software. Learning
from video tutorials I find much easier, and it should be easier to
produce than written tutorials for heather too</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Competitions – Even though I
didn’t win I really enjoyed the texturing competition.
Competitions and rivalry always pushes me to produce higher quality
work. Maybe we could have a gallery of the top 3 pieces per project.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Critical Studies</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
More focus on the theory of games
art – I found the first few lessons relatively boring and didn’t
really see much of a connection with what was being taught and the
course. But the last few lessons made much more sense to me. I
enjoyed listening to what made characters/levels more appealing, and
the point of art direction, because of these lectures I started to
apply what was taught to my 3d/visual design work. Maybe these types
of lectures pick up in year 2, but I wanted to learn more of it in
the first year.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Well that’s me done for year 1. But I
cant rest, gotta push myself over the summer so I can come into year
2 guns blazing. Maybe something like this:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OOVWxuMTzbc/T6PUWGzCm6I/AAAAAAAAACQ/_Xjk4u3IXvQ/s1600/2nktbtw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OOVWxuMTzbc/T6PUWGzCm6I/AAAAAAAAACQ/_Xjk4u3IXvQ/s320/2nktbtw.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>Dan Hargreaveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228670085722164285noreply@blogger.com0