Supervisor Meeting (Group)

We had our first meeting with our supervisor today - Ryan Locke. His plan is too have maybe two more group sessions as well as half hour individual sessions every week. We began by discussing each others project so he could get a more in-depth idea of what we were looking to do. He was fully on board with my project and I felt he understood what I wanted to achieve. He mentioned that I'd need to re-word it for a more suitable title as well as complete plenty research into other games.

The next few weeks (before Semester 2) I plan on creating a story for my environment and planning exactly how I want my environment to be so as soon as semester 2 starts, I can begin building it. I have already emailed the hotel I am basing it on asking for some reference images and archive photos so I can begin looking more into that in order to figure out the story I wish to convey.

Media Test - Importing into UDK

With my final project aim to have the user explore my environment it was time I imported my practice environment into a games engine for practice using another program. I decided to use UDK as I used it a little bit last year and so am some what familiar with it. I was happy too discover I succeeded with only some 'typical' minor problems. These issues have happened to me before but I need to research further on how to sort them. At the moment, I believe its the light maps but will need to keep tweaking them in order to hopefully resolve the issue I have, ready for when it comes to developing my final project.

Importing into UDK

There was only one major issue I was having with my environment and that was (what I believe to be) the lightmaps. I had a lot of annoying shadows in places that did not look right or make sense. I have a feeling that this is due to my light maps and I need to do much more research on these are as they are a vital factor for making a UDK environment look good.

Problems With Shadows

Things To Consider

• Still early practice in UDK - plenty time to sort
• Still need to try out animating objects in UDK
• Sound also needs to be looked into in preparation for next semester
• All in all, scene came together nicely

Personal Notes

Using UDK was not scheduled in my plan until next semester however starting it now has definitely given me not only a kick-start into the program but has raised issues and concerns I now know I need to look at ready for semester 2.

Media Test - Story

Recently it came to my attention that there were more parts to this interview from Don Carson :

http://www.primitive-eye.com/pdf_files/Enviromental_storytelling_pt1.pdf

So far I have been applying the practical skills learnt in Michael McKinley's 'Game Environments and Props' book to an environment I had created to carry out various tests and practices regarding environmental storytelling. I was basing these tests on Don Carson's techniques used in the theme park industry and had believed that the link provided was the full interview. I have jsut been made aware that there is a lot more too this which I can use for future practice later in the year. For now, here is the last media test from part 1: Story.

Using ideas on how to convey or tell a story from other games I have done so with a few examples. This first one is a standard typical horror style in which you see lots of blood in the environment which can highlight danger or just add to the sense of worry you have whilst playing the game. The example below are from 'Outlast' (2013).

Media Test - Story (Method 1)

This is an effective method which can be used to suggest something as oppose to using any form of text or obvious happening. It can be also very useful as it is not obvious what has happened which leaves the user's imagination to run wild and a common technique in film and games, is too not show the creature/what happened as someones imagination can create something much more scarier. For example, in my scene, you do not know what has happened except someone or something has been seriously hurt (or killed) This adds a chilling atmosphere in which the user proceeds more alert and becomes much more careful when progressing through the level.

Another method which is very common in various genre's of games is having scrawled writing on the wall. The writing can be clues, hints, ideas or just random rubbish. 'Left 4 Dead' (1&2) (2008/2009) effectively used this in the safe-houses set around the level. They use this to tell a story without the need of cut-scenes.

Media Test - Story (Method 2)

This technique proves very effective as it can subtly convey a story to the user without over-use of literally telling a story. The user can choose to acknowledge the information, take it seriously or just ignore it. 'Portal' (2007) was also famous for this method of storytelling with writing on the walls of hidden rooms which led to the story's outcome.

This next technique I have taken from 'Splinter Cell: Conviction' (2010) and adapted it. Here the text is clearly displayed on buildings to help introduce a level or task as well as offering tips. I went for a more subtle approach in my scene by having the writing much harder to see which would result in the user having to look hard and carefully if they wanted to find out some story aspects or help.

Media Test - Story (Method 3)

This technique would be effective if I wanted to tell an under-laying story that was into necessary to know when exploring the environment. I was using this technique with the idea that 'the environment' was talking/helping the user. This can be explored more in depth once I decide on what the final story will be. The issue that I noticed with this method was that it can be difficult to see so care would have to be taken when carrying out this method.

Things to Consider

• There a loads more techniques similar too these that can be used to tell/enhance a story
• Each of these can be explored further
• Having a story idea and how it's going to be told needs to be looked at soon

3D Practice - SciFi Object

This was the final chapter of Michael McKinley's 'Game Environments and Props'. It combined everything that had been learnt so far plus a few extra things here and there in order to create a sci fi object.

By now, these chapters are relatively straight forward which shows how I have progressed well. There are however some issues that did appear, which as per usual, cost me time and with some cases, time wasted as I could not fix them. However I am really pleased with how my skills have developed through using this book and how it as helped me with my project. I have learnt many new features which I can definitely apply to my project in order to make it much more professional.

Project: SciFi Object

The Steps

1. Create Hi Poly model
2. Create Low Poly version
3. UV map Low poly model
4. Using transfer maps to create initial textures
5. Edit textures in Photoshop
6. Apply these textures to model
7. Animate

Learning Outcomes

It was nice to apply all the techniques I have learnt from this book to one final model. So for this piece, nothing new was really taught however I did come across some problems which I could not fix. Trying to achieve a glow effect using a cone mesh sadly did not even nearly work. I tried messign about with the settings but nothing seemed to work. The other issue was when I rendered my final image, it came out with a really obvious glow which looked terrible and again, I could not sort it.

These issues are always a nightmare to try and fix as I sometimes have no clue on where to start. In some cases (Like I did here) I will just have to try leaving the part out. 

Project: SciFi Object - Problems

Personal Notes

I have found this book to be so useful in developing my 3D and Photoshop skills. It has been very enjoyable and thorough in its projects. I'd hope for more books like this but I am not sure if there are (in date) however now I have completed every chapter except one. I left this one to complete just before I come back to semester 2 as a kind of warm up exercise. It's a project on making a car, which is not linked to my final project however it can be used as the perfect warm up piece to keep me on form ready for semester 2. I would highly recommend this book to anyone carrying out 3D practices - especially for those at intermediate level who need a little more confidence and guidance in Maya.

Media Test - Familiarity

Following on from what  I learnt and relating this to Don Carson's environmental storytelling techniques (http://www.primitive-eye.com/pdf_files/Enviromental_storytelling_pt1.pdf) I went forward and created my own fan to implement into my scene.

Media Test - Familiarity

This resulted in a really nice ambient effect. Familiarity is a hard practice to interpret, I quote myself from a previous blog in saying'

'An important feature of storytelling and immersion is the use of familiarity. Certain objects will trigger a thought or idea in the users mind and with rule of thumb, they can decipher the objects meaning and perhaps understand more of the story - location, date, genre etc. Of course this can sometimes depends on the personal views of the user but for example, simple things such as a bed, light and wardrobe in a room would suggest that it is a bedroom.'

Here by adding in a few fans help enhance the hotel lobby atmosphere as they are quite often found in big lobby's. What also helps with an asset like this is that since it is not as common as you would think, it draws the user's attention and helps trigger 'rule of thumb' relations to ceiling fans in big rooms : connotations of; grand, well ventilated, well accommodated. These connotations are what the user thinks about subconsciously and the familiarity of the connotations help engross the user in a realistic environment.

It's important that all this headings (Physical Space, contrasting elements and familiarity) all link and require each other too work. 

Things To Consider

• Animated assets will most likely need some sort of sound to go along side them
• Familiarity is a technique that requires careful thought on each asset
• Familiarity differs with the individual - design assets with a - (stereotypical view)
• It's important that all this headings (Physical Space, contrasting elements and familiarity) all link and require each other too work. 

3D Practice - An Animated Industrial Fan

This chapter of Michael McKinley's 'Game Environment and Props' involved creating an industrial fan and animating it in order for a more interesting background object. This project was relatively simple but showed how you can enhance your environment very easily.

Project: Creating an Industrial Fan

The Steps

1. Create the high poly model
2. Create the low poly model
3. UV Map the low poly model
4. Texture the Low Poly Model
5. Animate it

Learning Outcomes

This project did not produce much in terms of learning outcomes for me. The only issue I had which I have had before so know how to sort it is the transferring of an ambient occlusion map. This was the only issue I had. As for learning, the only kind of new aspect for me was the animation. It was nice to see how easy it was to animate a simple object.

Personal Notes

This was a really interesting project which showed how easily it is to enhance an environment. What I must try and do is apply this technique in an gaming environment. This was one of the issues raised at my progress presentation - to bring an asset in UDK and work with it in there in order to help develop a feel and ease back into using UDK. This might be the perfect object to use (Or my own version of it) as it incorporates animation as well as anything else. If I can get a feature like this working in UDK I would be really pleased.

Week 12 - Progress Presentation 2

So today was our second progress presentation. Due to coursework deadlines, I did not put as much effort into this as possible but it still went well. Some of the feedback I received from my lecturers could have been avoided if I did put a little bit more effort in but apart from that, I was generally pleased and came away with a lot of valuable feedback. Here is my presentation:

Progress Presentation 2

Feedback On Project 

• Good to see I had a clear aim and objectives
• Look at lighting in UDK as it's different to Maya
• With case studies, pay attention to things that do not work in order to better my own project
• Have a method for carrying out a case study (FRAMEWORK)
• Look at how I'm going to tell/convey a story - using techniques I have learnt
• Look at how I apply knowledge to my practical work
• Look at comparison (e.g compare hallways in different games)
• Look into completing an 'active' case study

Feedback On Presentation

• Approach as if it is a completely new audience
• Re-summerise last presentation

Looking over these remarks I can easily apply myself too them. The presentation feedback points are an easy fix - just spend more time preparing the presentation. As for the feeback on my project, there is a lot too look at here which is a great help for my future plans. I was saving UDK work for next semester but as highlighted - it might be best to at least work on one asset and light it in UDK now.

As for conveying the story, I am currently in the process of learning techniques and applying them to a test environment so hopefully I can show a successful outcome with these.

A lot of attention was drawn to the methodology of my case studies. It is clear I need to write out and apply a method/framework I can use whilst playing the games and writing about them. By doing this I can effectively crituque them and apply the knowledge to my project.

Comparing scenes in other games is also a really useful idea. I will start looking into games I can compare and conduct a good amount of research this way.

Overall I am pleased with my feedback. I currently am working on work for hand-ins in two weeks but I am hoping I can add in a little more that planned using the feedback given today.

Media Test - Contrasting Elements

Continuing with Don Carson's theories for environmental storytelling design, I went on to look at 'contrasting elements'. This was a theory he had that in order to keep someone interested in a scene, you need to add contrast in the environment. An example he gave was starting off in a small enclosed room before moving on to a huge spacious room. This contrast keeps the player engaged with whats happening as oppose to becoming bored and tiresome of the same type of scenes over and over again.

Using the hallway I have been carrying my medias tests on I decided to add a huge lobby at the end of it. I found a reference image online and decided to base it on that as it closely resembled my hallway.

Media Test - Contrasting Elements

Here you can see the contrasting effect. It really enhances the scene and in my personal opinion, it is good to have big open spaces as it gives the user a chance to wander more. The issue with a long hallway is it is very linear which is forcing the player in a certain direction. This may aware the player that it is, after all, an interactive experience that is pushing the user in a certain direction which can lose all immersive effect. When creating the environments it is important to think carefully about the environment design. I focused on using modular pieces much like the exercise I carried out in the previous blog. This enabled me to create a quick efficient environment for the purposes of media testing. I plan on using modular assets to create my final piece as it is an effective method that can save a lot of time.

Media Test - Contrasting Elements

Things To Consider

• Vary the environment (in terms of size, lighting etc)
• Plan where you want the user to go and attempt to direct them there in an non-obvious manner
• Take care in texturing as this can add great depth to the scene
• Lighting is such an important factor - take time to work on it and perfect it
• Explore different environment designs - hotels and asylums had fantastic architecture

3D Practice - Building a Skyscraper

This was chapter 5 of Michael McKinley's 'Game Environments and Props'. I have started to relate these 3D practices to Don Carsons theories of creating immersive environments using environmental storytelling techniques, similarly used in theme parks:

http://www.primitive-eye.com/pdf_files/Enviromental_storytelling_pt1.pdf

So this project was all about modular design which is highly important for the project I am planning to do. I did occur some issues here which more relate to my cleanliness of 3D modelling. The book starts to encourage you to do parts yourself and this is where I start to fault. Oddly enough I am normally ok but when following a book so far, being expected to start continuing with sections with no help can be quite difficult.

3D Practice - Building a Skyscraper

The Steps

1. Carefully plan modular design
2. Create a high poly version
3. Create a low poly version
4. UV Map the low poly version
5. Create the textures using the Transfer Maps Function
6. Use Photoshop to edit textures
7. Apply to low poly piece
8. Fit pieces together

Learning Outcomes

For this project, nothing completely new to me was applied. This ended up being more practice than learning however one issue which I had (which I have had before) came up but I simply fixed it (like I fixed it before).

Ambient Occlusion Map Issues

It was the ambient occlusion map. Annoyingly enough it seems I cannot create an ambient occlusion map for a number of assets at once. This was no problem. I simply created a map for each piece and then edited them together in photoshop. As you can see from above it is an easy process and did not take up much time. When speaking with a lecturer about these issue he seems to think it's an issue with this version of Maya (2011).

Moving forward with this issue I am going to continue with this method but if it appears to come out drastically wrong. I can always use the UV Snapshot to create my own ambient occlusion map.

Personal Notes

Relating to Don Carsons techniques, I am going to use this practice as guidance into looking at 'Contrasting Elements'. Carson states that havign contrasting elements in an environment can help entice and keep the user interested. He mentions:

'...medieval cathedral or even a large old church, there is a reason the vast interior is so awe inspiring. What you may not realize when you enter, is that the architects of these places have forced you to enter the church through a small confined space, before revealing the monumental interior of the main church. This is done quite on purpose, and it is the contrasting effect of having been confined in a small space that makes the adjacent room all the more dramatic.'

With this theory in mind I am going to put it to practice by enhancing the hallway I have been working on and insert, through access of a door, a much larger room, perhaps a grand hall of some sort. This contrasting effect should hopefully spark and interesting vibe within the environment, enticing the player to continue.

Media Test - Physical Space

In a previous blog post I discovered Don Carson, who is in the theme park industry and he mentioned different techniques used for environmental storytelling. (http://www.primitive-eye.com/pdf_files/Enviromental_storytelling_pt1.pdf) These relate to theme park rides however the concepts and ideas are all the same. First one was 'Physical Space'. (Taken from my previous blog):

'When designers are wanting to convey a certain story and more importantly, convey an emotion during a ride, they must consider the physical space that the ride takes place in. This is vitally important and the main features which are incorporated with physical space are; colour, lighting and texture. Each of these variables an be changed in order to convey a different emotion or tell a different story. These factors are hugely important as this is what the users are experiencing first hand. The lights, colours and textures will literally be the first thing they see, and initial impressions are very important.

'... the next most important task is to answer your audiences first question... "Where am I?" No matter how well designed your environments are, if your audience can not answer this question in the first 15 seconds, you are already lost.'

With all this in mind I have carried out some practices and tests in order to enhance my knowledge in environmental storytelling. I have practiced texturing, lighting and colour within a scene to find out how they can convey a different 'feeling' for the user. For now these have been tests solely for personal use however later on I plan on carrying them out for users to test and give feedback to help me enhance my environment and eventually, be able to convey a story to the user through environmental exploration.

Media Test - Physical Space

Media Test - Physical Space

As you can see from the above examples, even with subtle texture, colour and lighting changes, you can really enhance the 'feel' of an environment. Depending on the story or atmosphere being created you can carry out numerous techniques to the physical space that you have created.

I will be using these techniques to develop my project environment in order for the user to be able to understand a story through environmental exploring. This will be a story that I have created and, using the techniques I have learnt, I will convey this story to the user, through environmental storytelling.

Week 11 - Media Test - Lighting

Fixing Previous Lighting problem

I had some frustrating issue regarding the last light practice I carried out. The ambient occlusion and normal maps were not being created correctly which happened again when I attempted to apply these new lighting techniques to my scene.

Fixing Lighting Problem

Looking back I think it was due to my light's geometry (in both cases). Even though I followed the book for the previous light - some features I could not get to work so had to improvise using my own techniques. For this example however, I got some help from a lecturer who suggested to transfer the lights pieces maps separately then merge them in Photoshop.

I took his advise and it worked out relatively well. There was still some minor issues regarding the detail in my maps but it was not a major concern. In the end I managed to create a realistic looking light. 

Applying New Techniques To Scene

Having finally learnt this new method to help create realistic lighting and being able to fix any issues had regarding the map, I then went and created a more engaging scene by replacing the previously used bright chandelier style lights with standard (horror style) simple eerie lights. Realistically these would suit the asylum environment for my project however for testing purposes, they worked really well in the hotel hallway.

Practising New Lighting Technique

This technique has really helped to enhance my 3D scene. Trying out different light settings has also helped add more depth, and more interest into my scene. My project will be focusing on a horror atmosphere and lighting is vital for this. Already I can see how the different lighting techniques convey an eerie unsettling atmosphere.

Meeting With Lecturer

I organised a meeting with one of my lecturers today as I was having difficulty with what I was meant to be doing for my pre-production portfolio hand in. After this meeting I feel much better about what I needed to do and even with some changes applied to my project aim, I feel more comfortable with what I am doing. This is an overview:

Immersion or Environmental Storytelling?

It was mentioned that immersion is a very difficult subject to tackle, mainly because it's very difficult too measure. A simple question was raised to me: "How are you going to measure how immersed the player is?" I had no idea. My lecturer knew this would be the case and helped me to find a more suitable path.

After having a discussion of what I wanted to be doing and why I picked immersion it was clear that my project was fundamentally looking into environmental storytelling. Relating this to immersion it came apparent that I could research the impact of environmental storytelling and how to successfully achieve this. Without ignoring immersion completely I can still discuss the importance of immersion and how environmental storytelling can help immerse a player.

Pre-Production Portfolio

The discussion we had regarding the portfolio helped out a lot. It was clear I was on the right lines but I needed to really home-in on my project and begin tests relating to ideas I have for my project. So far I have already created a few 3D environment scenes and I was told it's perfectly alright to re-use these scenes as part of testing. With this in mind I can attempt to perhaps tell a story within these environments as part of testing 'environmental storytelling'. There was a really good blog post I had a while back which showed different aspects of environmental storytelling. It would be good if I used the headers used in this article to begin my next set of media tests.

This Blog

As for my blog, I have been doing a good job although there are some pointers. One would be to start tagging each blog with suitable tags in order for easier navigation and a proper 'file system'. In relation to my practical work posts, it was made apparent that if something goes wrong I state it and show what it was however I don't seem to say or explain how I will avoid this issue or fix it for any future pieces. This is a common error made in blogs and is definitely something I can amend in future.

Where To Go From Here?

This meeting has definitely helped to shape what I will be tackling these next few weeks, ready for my hand-ins. I have my research proposal to edit up in relation to my project aim change. That is a simple task which I can sort over the weekend. As for my pre-production portfolio I just need to start creating pieces that show what I will be doing next semester. Simple things like; how I am going to change the scene from hotel to asylum? What rooms am I going too need? How will I be conveying the story? All these aspects must be covered and with careful consideration and thought, I can apply useful and relevant media tests to the environments I have already created.

3D Practice - Light

Knowing that lighting is important in creating a realistic atmosphere I went ahead and carried out Chapter 6 of 'Game Environments and Props' by Michael McKinley. This covers how to create a realistic looking light using different types of maps as oppose to an actual Maya light.

Project: Creating a Wall Sconce

The Steps

1. Create a high poly version.
2. Create a low poly version.
3. UV Map the low poly version.
4. Create the textures needed using the Transfer Maps function
5. Use Photoshop to edit textures.
6. Apply to low poly piece.

Learning Outcomes

UV Mapping Technique

UV mapping has always caused me issues in knowing what to exactly do. This use of overlapping UV's has help in creating a quick duplicate texture map for parts of the light.

Problems That Occured

These issues caused a huge amount of disrupt to the time set out to complete this task. The is something I need to bare in mind for the final piece.

Personal Notes

This task stressed my out quite a lot. It seems simple but when something does not work and you spend hours attempting to fix it or at least find out what the issue is and simply cannot find it, it is a tremendous waste of time. This is important to take note when creating my final piece as I can't afford to waste much time or trivial features.

Week 10 - Media Test - Is Bright and Vibrant Colours Immersive? - With Realistic Textures

Continuing on from the testing I carried out previously, I went on to create a hotel reception and textured it a little differently. In the previous test, I wanted to keep my textures relatively simple similar to 'Among The Sleep'. This time I have gone for a more realsitic approach but my tests are still going to be the same:

Using Vibrant colours and de-saturating them in order to test the immersive appeal of each environment.

Is Vibrant Colours Immersive? - With Realistic Textures

Learning Outcomes

What I noticed for this was pretty much the same as before. The vibrant scenes are not as realistic however there is some in depth interest into their eye catching colours. If applied correctly this could be used effectively in an environment.

Whilst creating my 3D environment I noticed a part that I could efficiently texture usign a technique learnt previously in 'Game Environments and Props'. This was a method of using a high poly mesh to create the different texture maps and then apply these to a low poly mesh in order to create efficient pieces. I also managed to add in a plant mesh I created using the same book.

I feel this scenes lack in atmosphere and immersiveness due to the lack of skillfully designed lighting. I will be looking into lighting as my next test as this is an important feature required to help make an environment immersive.

Applying New Skills

Personal Notes

It was nice to use some recently learnt skills in these test environments. With more practice I should be able to efficiently create my final piece. My next test is going to be focused on lighting as this is an important part of creating atmopshere, which relates to an immersive environment.

Media Test - Is Vibrant and Bright Colours Immersive?

I have been looking at how 'Among The Sleep's' artwork seems so immersive, especially as it has not gone for realism. It has gone for a fun vibrant style that de-saturates slightly during the horror sections however it is more dark that de-saturated.

I wanted to apply this idea to a simple hallway I created and see whether or not it looked immersive and interesting:

Is Vibrant and Bright Colours Immersive?

Learning Outcomes

Here is what I have took note of:

• Vibrant colours closely resemble 'Among The Sleep' - (good)
• Vibrant colours add an interesting tone and feel to the scene - (good)
• Vibrant colours are too bright - (bad)
• De-Saturated scenes look more realistic (good)

They are both immersive in their own ways, whether it's due to it's realistic nature (desaturated) or its interesting eye-catching nature (vibrant colours). This will require further testing. These may seem far too bright in colour however the reference image (in previous blog) has a very similar colour style to the yellow one above. Hence, when changing these colours I decided to keep them similar in brightness to each other. I also made them a little brighter in order to match the style of 'Among The Sleep.'

Personal Notes

From these tests I have gathered that there is quite a difference in feel and appeal between the two states (Bright/de-saturated). It can easily come down to personal preference which makes it difficult to figure what is best. In order to figure this out, I will be carrying out a similar exercise with a different environment except this time, the textures will be more realistic, however, I will still maintain a bright vibrant style and then de-saturate it. The de-saturation helps add an old creepy feeling which I think is useful to use when possible.

Another idea I have had is to combine the two styles. The hotel scene of my story will be bright and vibrant - showing that it's set in the current time and then the asylum environment can have use of desaturation helping to portray the old creepy atmosphere they traditionally expose.

Media Test - Art Style

When it comes to immersion, there is lots of different factors that can affect how immersive a game is. Usual, people become immersed in games that attempt to be as realistic as possible and this includes in art style. With graphics improving beyond belief in modern games, developers are doing their best to make their games as real looking as possible in order to immerse the player in the game.

Among The Sleep

Among The Sleep differs from this as it's art style is very stylistic. It has avoided realism completely and gone for a more fun, vibrant looking style. This however, still helps immerse the player within the game. The reason being is that the art style fits with the scope of the story. As you are seeing through the perspective of a toddler, it makes sense to have everything look bright and vibrant and thrilling too look at. It even manages to capture this 'vibrantness' when the environment becomes dark and creepy. Everything you see is still interesting to look at.

'Among The Sleep' by Krillbite Studios

Media Test: Art Style

I began by finding a reference image online and quickly modeled it, ready to test some textures on it. The textures were kept reasonably close to the reference image. Basing my first test on 'Among The Sleep' I made the textures vibrant and much more interesting to look at. Admittingly this was difficult to accomplish with just a hallway. However I continued and after that I de-saturated the textures to attempt to create a more interesting hallway with a sinister feel to it.

Media Test: Art Style

Learning Outcomes

After carrying this out I discovered that the art style was rather difficult to achieve. I tried making it look vibrant but in my opinion, its not obvious. However, I got a fellow coursemate to check it out and he mentioned that with furniture and other pieces placed in the scene may help bring out the art style more clearly. He also suggested removing a light as lighting is effective for making a scene more interesting and therefore more immersive.

Personal Notes

Next I am going to place some added pieces into the hallway and keep to the vibrant style. Hopefully this will make the environment a lot more interesting. I also want to create another room except this time the artistic style will be more realistic looking at influences such as, Outlast and Silent Hill's Playable Trailer. After this I can compare environments and discuss which is more immersive for a player.

I must also not that a lot of factors result in immersive gameplay. This is my attempt at trying out different theories and testing different techniques in order to help create my own, immersive interactive experience.

Week 9 - 3D Practice - Weapons

Chapter 3 of Michael McKinley's 'Game Environments and Props' was showing you how to model a well detailed gun. Up to know I have not been concentrating as much on my actual project in regards to practical work. These 3D practices have been more too get me back up to speed with Maya as well as learning some new useful techniques. I will still be carrying these out over the next few weeks but not in as much detail. I am going to focus on media testing and concepts ready for my hand ins.

I will not be going over exactly what I did in this chapter as it has purely been for practice but basically I modeled a high resolution gun, then adapted a low resolution version which was used for the UV maps.

Project: Creating a Gun

Personal Notes

As stated, due to time constraints, I am not going to waste too much time discussing this project as it was merely a modelling exercise. However what I will be carry out in the next few weeks is:

1. Concepts/Story Ideas
2. Media Tests
3. Modelling Environment Examples

This is in preparation for my hand ins in a few weeks time.

'Willing Suspension of Disbelief'

http://izquotes.com/quote/40129

In the last article I read (and blogged about) I came across a wonderful phrase that hit exactly, how I tend to feel about games and films. When I watch a film or play a game, I want to be immersed in it. I want too feel the emotions that the characters and scene is trying to portray. If a game or film is successful in doing so then for me, it's a great piece of media. I have always found it difficult to explain in words what I mean when I really like the atmosphere of games and films hence I like there to be no talking during a movie or whilst playing a game so  I can get lost within the medium and become immersed. This is a very personal thing which differs for everyone. Recently I found this quote that describes how anyone can be immersed within a certain media but they have to want it and allow it;

'Willing suspension of disbelief'

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a poet who had a deep interest in numerous things including the human imagination. He published this phrase/theory although it was believed that this concept came from the work of Erasmus Darwin, Charles Darwin's grandfather. Sadly I cannot find the direct reference - the best I can give is the book citation:

'Coleridge published the theory, however, and made it accessible by extricating it from the mass of Darwin's somewhat unreadable prose. (Schneider 1996, p 103)'

Even though Coleridge used this phrase with regards to poems it is still used today with respect to all different kinds of media. What the phrase really means is that even if something in a media is unrealistic - e.g teleportation in a science fiction movie - the viewers are willing to ignore all the unrealistic traits and become engaged in wanting to believe what they are seeing. In many instances they know it is impossible but they ignore that disbelief in order to enjoy the entertainment that is being shown to them.

Focusing on the important matter - the phrase itself, I find it an extremely accurate phrase that in my opinion is the root of atmosphere. If you want atmosphere you need to want it and hence, have a willing suspension of disbelief in whatever you are watching/playing in order to become immersed and benefit the atmosphere being created.

Personal Note

Every time I play a game or watch a film, I desperately try to get immersed in it. I willingly suspend my disbelief's and become engrossed and immersed in the media. This is something I quite often wish a lot of people would do in order to truly appreciate a film or game. I would love to accomplish this idea in my interactive piece and after finding this quote, I feel I can really develop a unique way of capturing the audience and keeping them immersed in my experience, much like I often do.

'Willing Suspension of Disbelief: Poetic Faith in Film' by Anthony J. Ferri

The Interplay Between Immersion And Appeal In Video Games by Georgios Christou

http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.abertay.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0747563213004391

In preparation for the Research Proposal and later on, the dissertation, I have been looking at some credited journal articles for references that I can use in my proposal/dissertation. Currently I am not looking to begin writing them yet however I do want to begin a basic draft by the end of the week. This blog's purpose is too note down some interesting references from this article that I may or may not use.

This article discusses the relationship between 'immersion' and 'appeal' for player experience of games. It goes on to introduce the concept meanings of immersion and appeal stating that,

'Immersion is generally accepted as one of those constituents of player experience...'

After a quick introductory argument on the importance of appeal is in a game Christou states,

'...appeal is a major factor of the gameplay experience, However, in the literature it is only mentioned incidentally, without deep examination of its impact on the other gameplay experience aspects, such as immersion.'

Interesting Quotes

Whilst reading this journal I came across many interesting quotes:

'...there is no immersion unless a player decides to play the game and engage into the process of willing suspension of disbelief.' - a wonderful explanation of what immersion requires - the user to want too believe and want too feel and pretend that the experience is real.

'...three successive levels of player immersion - engagement, engrossment and total immersion. Each of these levels suggests that the player further loses touch with the real world and becomes more involved both physically and psychologically in the virtual world of the game.'

'GameFlow framework offers several characteristics which could be seen as incremental in their application to understand the state of immersion. These are (I have changed format for a more readable list):

1. players should become less aware of their surroundings
2. players should become less self-aware and less worried about everyday life or self
3. players should experience an altered sense of time
4. players should feel emotionally involved in the game
5. players should feel viscerally involved in the game'

This is an extremely accurate list in my opinion of what immersion involves. This is definitely something I wish to pursue and research further. This is what I am aiming for in my interactive experience.

'Knowing that appeal is considered to be the driving force behind the act of choosing a game to play, as well as the driving force that drives players to continue playing  a game...' - appeal is just as important as immersion when getting a user to continue within an environment.

'...players who find a game appealing will also find it more immersive, and the opposite: players who find a game immersive, will also find it more appealing.' - the is what the study managed to show.

'Immersion is not affected by the players' amount of playtime of the game in question...This may suggest that immersion is a player trait rather than a game trait...' - this could easily make sense with relation to the quote above  that mentions that immersion is a willing suspension of disbelief.

'The lack of difference hints to the supposition that players may initially evaluate a game, and the initial perceived appeal decides their further relationship with the game...therefore, first impression may play a big role in whether players will adopt a game or not.' - This statement supports a passage I read a while back relating that in immersion and environment storytelling, first impressions are very important.

The conclusion of this article highlighted a few important links and features of appeal and immersion for games. He counters their findings by highlighting that first impressions help appeal a player hence if the first impression  of appeal is high, then 'the player should experience a high level of immersion'  and vice versa - low appeal equals not immersed. However considering this theory in reverse - immersion leads to appeal - then this would require the player to take the time too get immersed in the game before feeling the appeal. This reversal would require the player to be patient in the idea of wanting to be immersed - again, this lovely phrase comes too mind, ' a willing suspension of disbelief'.

New Project Proposal

My previous project aim and research question was along the lines of:

Create a 3D environment which, through exploration, tells a story. Focus will be on atmosphere, transformation of environment and immersion.

I admit this is a bit clunky and not very precise. After reading an article on Gamasutra (mentioned in previous blog post) I have come across a more interesting and more appropriate research topic that is suitable to my interest within 3D environments. I admit that my last idea was not overly exciting and not very unique but I hope this new idea will be more original and interesting for other peoples viewing.

My New Research Question and Project Aim

http://minimonstermedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/video-game-music-player-immersion.html

How to quickly immerse a player in a 3D environment and keep them interested until the end of the interactive experience, without an actual ending in sight.

Or re-worded as:

How to quickly immerse a player in a 3D environment and, without an actual ending in sight, keep them interested until the end of the interactive experience.

So here I am looking to create a 3D environment with a storyline built deep within it. The user will explore the environment and find out some sort of story. There will be no obvious end in sight for the user however I will look into keeping them immersed and interested until the end of the interactive experience.

Environmental Storytelling: Creating Immersive 3D Worlds Using Lessons Learned from The Theme Park Industry by Don Carson

http://www.primitive-eye.com/pdf_files/Enviromental_storytelling_pt1.pdf

Following on with research regarding environmental storytelling, I discovered this article that specifically discusses imported techniques that, if carried out effectively, will immerse the player in the environment.

This article focuses on the lessons we have, and can, learn from theme parks to help us create immersive 3D worlds. Theme park rides tend too do their best to enhance the overall experience by taking careful measures to insure the user is 'immeresed' in the ride. The techniques they use can be applied to 3D environments for games or other interactive experiences.

Physical Space

When designers are wanting to convey a certain story and more importantly, convey an emotion during a ride they must consider the physical space that the ride takes place in. This is vitally important and the main features which are incorporated with physical space are; colour, lighting and texture. Each of these variables can be changed in order to convey a different emotion or tell a different story. These factors are hugely important as this is what the users are experiencing first hand. The lights, colours and textures will literally be the first thing they see, and initial impressions are very important.

'...the next most important task is to answer your audiences first question.... "Where am I?" No matter how well designed your environments are, if your audience can not answer this question in the first 15 seconds, you are already lost.'

Story

The importance of story is another important feature of immersion. If the story does not make sense (i.e objects created after the 1980's featuring in an environment set in 1970) then the story looses it's authenticity and immersion in the environment is broken. Keeping the story matched with the environment will help the player get lost in this created world and appreciate everything that is happening around them. There are various ways too tell the story. This must be carefully planned and tested as some ways can be more enjoyable than others.

'Self discovery can be even more enjoyable than having the story spelled out for you in the opening credits. There are lots of ways designers can place story elements throughout their environments to lead their audience to conclusions designed into the game plot.

Familiarity

An important feature of storytelling and immersion is the use of familiarity. Certain objects will trigger a thought or idea in the users mind and with rule of thumb, they can decipher the objects meaning and perhaps understand more of the story - location, date, genre etc. Of course this can sometimes depends on the personal views of the user but for example, simple things such as a bed, light and wardrobe in a room would suggest that it is a bedroom.

Contrasting Elements

Having contrast in your environment can be very effective. Variety in your spaces can add interest as well as realism. Different sized and types of room can be very exciting to wander around in in order too discover and appreciate certain aspects of the room.

'...medieval cathedral or even a large old church, there is a reason the vast interior is so awe inspiring. What you may not realize when you enter, is that the architects of these places have forced you to enter the church through a small confined space, before revealing the monumental interior of the main church. This is done quite on purpose, and it is the contrasting effect of having been confined in a small space that makes the adjacent room all the more dramatic.'

Conclusion

After reading this article I have come to find my research topic and main question change slightly. It is still within same scope so all previous research is still relevant. I will create a fresh new blog in order to signify the next chapter of my project.

3D Practice - Foliage

Continuing with Chapter 2 of 'Game Environments and Props' by Michael McKinley my next foliage task was to create a tree. This incorporated a very similar approach to before which helped cement the techniques used into my mind. The techniques used a very effective and efficient in creating quick props and items for 3D environments. Again, foliage is not going to be used much in my environment (maybe plant pots etc) but seeing how it has done has enhanced my knowledge of techniques that can be used in Maya and Photoshop.

Project: Creating A Savannah Tree

The Steps

1. First I created the tree trunk. I created a polygon cylinder and deformed it. After this I created the branches using the CV curve tool.
2. Creating the smaller branches was done with curves also except this time, using a NURBS circle to create the radius for the branches.
3. The leaves were created in bulks to save time. Each bulk of leaves was duplicated and altered to maintain a random effect. In order for less polys - a snapshot of these bulks were created and then applied to a plane and the plane was used as the main leave geometry.
4. The same process was used to create the filler leaves. This really helped to quickly bulk out the tree.
5. Next I created the bark in Photoshop. The leaves and branches were just coloured through Maya.
6. The last part was correctly UV mapping the tree trunk in order to allow the bark too look accurate and appear seemless.

Learning Outcomes

I haven't learnt much more than I did in the previous part of the chapter. This is due to the tasks carrying out similar procedures however there is one part I would like to write about, due too it's usefulness and efficiency.

Using a Snapshot as a Texture

Using a snapshot as a texture

A very useful technique was used to create the leaves on the tree. As oppose too modelling each individual one which would require lots of memory and would be incredibly costly, a technique was used that not only sped up the process but only required a plane to show a whole bunch of leaves. To begin with you create a small branch covered in leaves. You then set up the top view camera to only view a certain size plan in your scene. With this plane you would capture an image shot of your branch and leaves. With this image, you then create a plane of the same size and apply this image to the plane. With this complete you can add extra edges to the plane and move the vertices slightly in order to give the impression of depth.

Personal Notes

Even though my environment will not need much foliage if any at all, this chapter has still shown me some essential skills in Maya and in Photoshop. I must comment that all the settings used in Photoshop cannot necessarily be learnt. They are tampered with until the artist feels it looks right. The best I can take in with regards to the Photoshop sections is the understanding of different features so that I can apply these to my designs later. It is now Monday and I am a bit behind on what I wanted too complete over the weekend. This means I am behind on the week. I will be looking to have caught up by the end of this week. Here's what I am wanting to have completed by Sunday night:

1. Finish Case study and blog a summary of it
2. Carry out Chapter 3 of Game Environments and Props + blog post
3. Carry out a few research blogs using journals/internet
4. Have a meeting with a lecturer
5. Draft my Research Proposal using Student Handbook

The next few weeks I am going to be focusing a lot on hand in materials so this week I am looking to get some ideas in my mind ready to start bringing things together in the next few weeks.

Week 8 - 3D Practice - Foliage

I have began the next chapter, in my book, 'Game Environments and Props' by Michael McKinley. This chapter is entitled, 'Foliage'. This chapter goes on to discuss foliage in games such as vines, trees, bushes, plants etc. There are two projects in this chapter, first one being - Creating Ivy, the next one being - Creating a Savannah Tree. I have completed the first project and followed the steps to create some Ivy.

I have never really done any foliage stuff before so this has proved helpful and been interesting for me. My project, most likely, won't have any trees, vines or bushes but there may be the odd plant pot here and there. I will complete the next project very soon whilst all the details are fresh in my mind. As this has been a much longer and time consuming tutorial, I will only be carrying out the projects once through. Another reason for this as it is not a core element of my project.

Creating Ivy

The Steps

This was a simple yet lengthy process. Lengthy because it requires lot's of duplication and careful placement. Here are the rough steps I carried out:

1. Using a reference plane, I used a Create Polygon Tool to draw out half the leaf and then mirrored the created geometry.
2. After this I extruded the main face to add some thickness as well as beveling the edges. After that I used the Split Polygon Tool to help create geometry for the vines.
3. After extruding these vines a little bit I went on to deform the leaf, using Deformers, to help enhance a realistic look to it.
4. It was then time to texture so using the Transfer Maps function I created a Normal and Ambient Occlusion map.
5. After creating these, I went on to create the Vine for the Ivy. This was a simple process of drawing out a curve using the CV Curve Tool.
6. This step was very lengthy - duplicating the leaves and adjusting them slightly all the way down the vine.
7. Then I created a NURBS Primitive Circle that was used to extrude the main geometry of the vine along the curve.
8. From here it was a simple fact of making sure the leaves all were correctly placed and then touching up the textures.

Learning Outcomes

This chapter has taught me a few new things, both in Maya and in Photoshop:

Maya

Texture Maps

Texture Maps - Examples taken from Game Environments and Props by Michael McKinley

There are 3 main texture types:

• Diffuse
• Normal
• Specular

Diffuse Map - This is the texture that contains the main colour information. This is the main map that shows what your object will look like.

Normal Map - This map contains the information that shows how far any part of an objects surface extrudes or intrudes. This helps how lighting affects your object by giving it a good sense of depth in parts.

Specular Map - A specular map contains the surfaces shininess information. Not everything needs a lot of shine but there is shine on most things so this is where this would be used. Most commonly this is used with the Blinn Material. If painted Black it represents no shine and if painted white, it represents shine. Colour can be added to add a hue of shine to the object.

Another map which was focused on highly in this chapter was an Opacity Map. Opacity controls the transparency of a model and this is heavily used for foliage pieces in games. By having a well created opacity map, artists can create the illusion of heavy details (like thousands of leaves).

Transfer Maps Function

The transfer maps function is used to quickly create a number of different maps for you chosen object. This is a highly efficient and easy way to create a source of all the different map types you need. Your Target Mesh  is the mesh you wish to create maps for (Low Poly Mesh) and your Source Mesh is the mesh you wish to create the maps from (High poly Mesh).

Transfer Maps Function

Photoshop

Layer Mask - This is a grayscale image that is associated with a layer in your document. It acts as an opacity map. If the mask layer is painted black then it is invisible, if it's painted white, it's visible.

Bits/Pixel - When you save a document, you are given an option of how you want to save it, 16, 24 or 32 Bits/Pixel. This is determining which channels too save. For a standard image (RGB) you have three channels (Red, Blue, Green) each at 8 bits/pixel, therefore save as 24 bits/pixel. If you use an Alpha Channel then thats another 8 bits/pixel hence, 32 bits/pixel.

Personal Notes

Some of my learning outcomes may surprise you that I honestly was not fully sure on there functions and/or purposes. However this is a learning curve and writing them out like this helps out a lot.

For the end of this weekend I have a few tasks I wish to compelte:

1. Finish Case Study
2. Blog Summary of Case Study
3. Complete Chapter 2 of Foliage
4. Blog Chapter 2 of Foliage

This should all be manageable. Even with this weekend being quite busy I am confident I can achieve all this.

Environmental Storytelling - The Art of Dear Esther

I have gotten to the point in my project where all loose ends have tied up nicely and now it's time to begin the next be chapter - The run up to our 'Research Proposal'. Currently I am not worrying too much about this as it is a fair few weeks away however I have decided to start with some fresh research and practice that is a lot more focused on my project. I have also made a change to my blog styles (which you will notice from this blog forward) in order to improve readability and interest for others in what I am writing and portraying.

The Art of Dear Esther: Building an Environment to tell a story by Robert Briscoe (Lead Artist)

The Art of Dear Esther by Robert Briscoe

Upon my research of environmental storytelling I discovered a slideshow presentation on a game that I have briefly read about in my research called, 'Dear Esther'. Apparently this is a very good story telling game which tells the story through the environment, and with narrative. As this is what my project is highly focusing on, I plan on purchasing and trying out this game in order for a better understanding of storytelling through environment.

The Slideshow

It's unfortunate that there is no video or audio source too this slideshow. This means I have to decipher what  I can merely from the images and the few words that are used with them. From what  I can see, it seems like it would have been a really useful presentation. After a few intorductory slides, I found a few slides that captured my eye. These slides where highlighting the importance of how Impressionism can be very immersive.

Impressionism

Some important features of impressionistic art:

• Mix of the real and surreal 
• Detail and perceived detail 
• Mirrors the story's ambiguous nature 
• Atmospheric 
• Mysterious 
• Immersive 

What was really helpful in this slideshow was the comparison of their art progression. They showed early stages of some scenes and highlighted how it 'looked flat and unconvincing' and not real looking. After showing and explaining the use of impressionism he then showed 'Test 2' - the same scene edited showing that it was softer, had muted lighting, colours and textures. Seeing this change and relationship with impressionistic art has really highlighted the depth in which 3D artists go too in order for a realistic scene.

The Art of Dear Esther by Robert Briscoe (My interpretation)

The Art of Dear Esther by Robert Briscoe (My interpretation)

Importance of Detail

Moving on in the slideshow, Briscoe discusses how realism is not always the most important aspect of 3D environments. It is all about the 'message and experience you portray' through the content. Detail is extremely important as even the slightest change can manipulate how the scene tells the story. By expanding the content in you environment you allow for more detail and therefore more opportunity for the player to imagine what the environments history was. With the player imagining what the environments history was, you help immerse the player into the game which helps create an exciting experience.

The Art of Dear Esther by Robert Briscoe (My interpretation)

Personal Notes

After seeing these slides and trying my best to understand them without them being presented to me, I have concluded that I agree with the importance of detail. With lack of detail comes lack of story, and with this, no one is going to be immersed within the scene and find it believable. It is my duty as a 3D artist to:

1. Create a detailed 3D scene
2. Make the detail consistent with the story
3. Always have an ideal goal within a scene

For my environment I am going too look at horror games and perhaps movies and take note of how they attract the player and lead them through the environment. My next task is to carry out a case study on the game, 'Among The Sleep'. I will start it today and hopefully get it completed and written up, very soon after.