Final Render Sheets

Here are my final render sheets for the Asteroid environment, I am really pleased with the result and would love to see it in UDK; unfortunately I don't have time so the 3DS Max renders will have to do.

Environment Renders

Here are a selection of different lighting techniques I am trying out to best achieve a hallucination like appearance, whilst also keeping that cartoony hand painted art style. 

Progression with Environment.

Now I have successfully textured every asset in the Environment, I am really happy with the result and can't wait to add some atmospheric lighting and other effects to give it that hallucination like appearance. For this I tried to add fog, however the attempts were unsuccessful due to the Mental Ray lens effect I am using to render, making the fog invisible; therefore I created my own using a plane and opacity maps. I also added the rat silhouettes, I feel it is beginning to match the concept more closely. Also notice the added bump maps in the path and rocks, as well as a Mental Ray glass material used on the window.

Creation of Plantlife & Sign

I have got to a stage where my environment is almost complete, however I feel it was still lacking something and looked fairly bare; so I decided to create some plant life to occupy the plant pots and hopefully add a little more depth to the design; I chose to create a stylistic tree rather than a realistic one, due to the art style I thought an obscure design would fit the environment better. I am quite happy with how it turned out, quite a memorable design; something a little different than your standard opacity mapped planes.

I have also textured the sign, with the annotation "The Love Shack" due to it being the home of a once happy hippy couple; here is a close up of the sign:

Progression with Assets

Today I textured the Piano asset for my environment, using Mental Ray to achieve a realistically reflective look whilst still having a hand painted texture, I am quite happy with the result and think it works well in the environment.

I followed this tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7IZStYmImY, to make some grass for my environment. I then added it to the model but wasn't happy with the result, as I feel it didn't compliment the art style I had gone for.

I will try a different style of grass that will hopefully work better with the Art Style.

Environment Development

I have modeled all the assets for my sign and painted textures for the Asteroid and the House; I have decided to go for a stylized hand painted style, reminiscent of Zelda: The Windwaker. Now I need to work into the models, added hand painted textures and bump maps. Also need to figure out how to get a realistic glass texture for the window, and a nice reflective surface for the piano! 

Final Concept Variations

I decided to take my final design and make it feel more like a hallucination, as before it was more of a blueprint with no real atmosphere. Here I have tried several different techniques to achieve this effect.

This is my final design with an added background, a strange purple glow and ominous sillhouttes.

For this concept I made the cottage and surrounding grass/assets 50% visible and created a wavy effect. This looks good on the concept but not sure how I'd achieve this effect in UDK.

Here I layered the faded view and the clear view on top of each other, to give a less drastic effect. Think this could be achieved through a particle system in UDK similar to the heat haze one already packaged.

For this one I altered the Hue and Saturation of the image, to give it a more eerie; hallucination like appearance. From my research I have also found that colour displacement is common in hallucinations so this concept works on multiple levels, and I believe it creates a nice balance between the colours; adopting a much more extra-ordinary undertone.

I personally think the final concept with the altered Hue and Saturation is my favourite and conveys the story successfully, I will have to get some feedback of other people and my tutors first but for now, this is the design I'm sticking with.

Final Concept

This is my final concept, incorporating all the best things from each idea in a more coherent drawing. It also features elements of the story:

Silhouette of wife and kids in the window

Fishing rod- remnant of past life fishing

Piano- remnant of past life as a musician

Rock formation forming human figure- signs of madness

Drawings on the floor- shows that the environment is imaginary, and that's the true appearance

Environment Concept 2

This is my second concept of the environment I wish to create, it has all the same features of the first one but a little more refinement.

Features of Concept

• Shadows of rats on the floor, common in hallucinations
• Contrast between the bright and colourful hallucination and the dull reality
• A misplaced piano and fishing rod demonstrates past life as musician and fragility of mind
• Figures in the background are rock formations that the protagonist sees as figures with a mysterious red glow behind them, common in hallucinations.
• Scratchings on the floor- demonstrate how long he's been here as well as his mental state, the continuation of the footpath and drawing of the 'Well' shows he has began to draw out his old life, showing signs of the reality. 
• Silhouettes of his wife and kid in the window. 

Schizophrenia Research

I have taken some time to research visual hallucinations, from Dimentia, Schizophrenia, and Substance Abuse. Very little is known about these hallucinations but certain theorists have created their own views, one theory states that the Hallucinations are triggered by the Pineal Gland in the brain, and are visual projections of the specific persons mind. These Hallucinations can range from seeing colours, shapes and figures, to forming full blown landscapes and fully 3D items. Other hallucinations include colour distortion, melting walls/environments and geometric patterns/shapes.

Here is an example of some of my research; this is a video demonstrating the effects of Schizophrenia and shows a simulation of what a schizophrenic person would see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP3SfgO3_Vw 

Environment Concept

I have decided to base my environment on the protagonists individual perception. So first I must create a simple story for the character and environment...

Story

The protagonist is an 81 year old survivor, he manage to avoid death when earth was hit by a huge asteroid. This asteroid killed the majority of life on earth and split the planet into hundreds of tiny pieces, the protagonist managed to cling to a rock and avoid death. 6 months have passed and he now inhabits this rock as it tumbles through space. However, he is beginning to go insane; creating his own reality on this tiny rock, hallucinating remnants of his old life and his family...

Research

Visual hallucination: A false perception of sight. The content of the hallucination may be anything (such as shapes, colors, and flashes of light) but are typically people or human-like figures. For example, one may perceive a person standing before them when no one is”

Mystical states, contact with autonomous entities, imagined landscapes, spirit dimensions, mystical, spiritual

·  Erratic hallucinations - The lowest level of hallucination generally consists of movement in the peripheral vision and ill defined, faded imagery within the visuals and transformations or false sightings within the peripheral vision which disappear once a person double takes.

· Defined hallucinations - As the vividness and intensity increases, the imagery eventually becomes fully defined in their appearance ranging from stylized to realistic in appearance. Transformations will also manifest themselves as fully detailed and within a person’s direct line of sight.

· Breakthrough hallucinations - Once the hallucinations become sufficiently elaborate they eventually become all encompassing. Short breakthroughs into hallucination start to happen with increasing frequency and length as dosage is increased. Beginning with random flashes of spontaneous psychedelic scenarios. Eventually increasing to permanent, ever shifting alternate realities and a complete disconnection from the real world,

Retrieved from: http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Hallucinations.html#ixzz2NFAO5WJK

Concept

Environment Idea: Saturn Ship

I had the Idea of creating an environment around the rings of Saturn, in which a colony of sentient beings live and work, mining materials from the rings and monitoring the activity of the planet, so to prevent danger from the citizens living on Titan, (one of Saturn's moons)

Here is a very quick sketch so I remember the Idea...

Environment Design- Diorama

From the first lecture on Environments it is clear that I want my diorama to have character and tell a story. I want to create something fairly fantastical so as not to just create a standard house, I want to inject some personal creativity into the design. Here are some examples I have gathered of fantasy diorama's to give me some inspiration...

Step 8 of 8: Focal Points

The player must have a visible goal, I have chosen to have my focal point visible throughout the level so they know what they are aiming for. Upon first entry to the cave the player will arrive in a large open expanse, full of exploratory area's. At the very back of the cave in the distance will be the Ancient Fort they are searching for, this will be in the form of a castle building, lit brilliantly to tempt the player into discovery.

Inspiration for Focal Point

Level Design Update.

Today I attempted to create the level in UDK using the landscape brushes and a this TUTORIAL, however whilst doing so I have stumbled across some flaws in my design. The overall flow of the game play doesn't work, I know if I was the player, the plan for my game play would be too slow and potentially boring due to the lack of threats... After looking back at my plan and re-evaluating it I have decided to add some different game play, creating a better tempo, incorporating height, and a better flow to the level.

Here is a re-vised top down map and objectives flow chart...

Step 7 of 8: Top Down Map

Top Down Map

I drew a rough map out on paper a few times, this is the final refined version featuring all parts of the game play. Now i need to import this into Photoshop and create a refined, clear and concise top down map.

This is my final top down map completed in photoshop, this should give me the basis from which to progress. Now I need to import this into 3DS max and form a simple 3D map of the level from which I can start adding game play.

Here is a list of the important features of the map. 

1. Spawn Point

2. Navigate through the forest 

3. Shoot down rock to cross river

4. Cave entrance 

5. Broken bridge (fixed in the future)

6. Lever holders 

7. Movable platforms 

8. Reachable edge

9. Rocks shot down from roof

10. Secret Treasure

11. End of level (guards in the past) 

The only differences between the past and present will be aesthetics. As well as the bridge being broken in the future, fixed in the past; the guards being at the end of the level in the past, but not in the future; giving the player a reason to switch back, and breaking up the tempo. Also the water will be slightly lower in the past, revealing some hidden platforms, if the player shoots all the rocks down the water will have raised quite significantly.

Step 6 of 8: Objectives & Obstacles

This section took the most time to complete as it was difficult for me to think of puzzles that relate to the theme of my level; 'the butterfly effect'. With the time I have I won't be able to create as in-depth of a puzzle as I would like but I have thought of more simple Ideas that will convey the point reasonably well. Here are a list of game play ideas, some are relevant to travelling back in time and other are just puzzles to be completed in the future. 

Using the time machine:

1- Player goes back to move platforms into the right place

2- Retrieve an Item from a locked room

3- Steal the plans for the bridge so it's never built

4- Unblock a water pipe to let water through in future

5- Move foundations of bridge so it's built in a different place

6- Travel to the future to sneak past the guards of the past

7- Find 3 keys in the past and hide them somewhere for use in the future

8- Roll a boulder down the hill to prevent it destroying the bridge at a later date

10-Shoot down a rock that will destroy bridge, but prevent flood in future

General puzzles:

1- Touch the trees in the right order- according to a diagram hidden somewhere in the past

2- Place a rock on a touch pad 

3- Walk across the touch stones in a specific order

4- Set fire to all the lamps 

5- Shoot a statue in a certain place to extend the bridge- clue is on a signpost 

6-Shoot down a rock from the roof to create a way across 

7- Move entire chunks of the land around the cave using a lever

8-Shoot away a platform to float downstream

Now I will try to refine these into a plan that flows smoothly and features a nice range of game play, from puzzles to platforming incorporating the time machine in a solid, well balanced level. Here is a flow diagram of the objectives in the game. 

Step 5 of 8: The Story

Story

500 thousand years in the future the human race has left planet earth due to lack of resources, they now occupy colonial ships in outer space and have made settlements on other earth-like planets. You play as a human living on a planet now inhabited by humans, the people that occupy the planet have very little knowledge of human history, or in fact the history of the planet they inhabit. The protagonist is a curious adventurer, trying to unlock the secrets to his past; this has led him to an underground city hidden deep within a cave. The city has become destroyed and difficult to navigate, forcing the protagonist to go back in time to make some changes that will allow him to progress and reach his final goal; an immeasurable treasure.

Step 4 of 8: Photo References

To progress my idea, I have gathered a range of references for the location, lighting and general style. The more images I have, the easier it is to put down a style and use the general theme to inspire the rest of my design.

Location & Environment: The location is going to be inside a cave that was once home to an ancient civilisation. I have gathered images that represent the kind of feel I'm going for, some are real photo references and others are artistic representations.

 



 

 

 

Lighting & Style: Here are some visual references of the kind of atmosphere I want to create, a dark strangely illuminated cave. Featuring green and blue lights, aswell as mist and water.

 

Step 3 of 8: Level & Environment

Level & Environment:

I want to create a fictional ancient environment that operates on very basic mechanical motions, taking inspiration from the Steam Punk style, aswell as Aztec and Egyptian architecture/puzzles. I want to form a environment that was once home to an advanced segregated civilisation, left undiscovered for centuries as it was hidden down in a cave. This will be fairly easy to achieve with the UDK assets and gives me huge scope for design, also having a vast quantity of research available as it is a popular subject. Now I have a basic Idea for my environment I will have to gather research to form a more solid plan.

ALL INSIDE A CAVE
Forrest- Overgrown, huge trees, shruberry
Desert- Sandy, ruins, empty
Temple- Stone, hyroglyphics, patterns

Step 2 of 8: Purpose & Feature

Purpose:

The purpose of the project is to convey the idea's of the 'Butterfly Effect', the notion that every action has a chain of resulting consequences, seemingly creating a reality that could have been very different if the action was changed. I need to use this Idea to fuel my level design process, using this as a basis to create unique and interesting Gameplay.




Feature:

I want my level to feature mainly puzzles, using the idea of changing something small to create a specific result. I also want to focus on an environment that flows smoothly and has a well balanced tempo for the player to stay engaged during the level. Because it's going to be mainly puzzles the tempo will be fairly slow, so I will have to think of a way to keep it balanced, maybe having a high tempo section at the end to increase tension.

Step 1 of 8: The Idea

For this project we have to create a level, based on our original theme; mine being 'perception of reality'. I have already explored the idea of seeing a different realities based on moods (split personality) and I have explored the idea of a micro-universe with similar physical constraints as ours. For this assignment I want to explore a new idea, 'The Butterfly Effect'; the Idea that changing something in the past can have a knock on effect in the future; the smallest of things can have a huge knock on effect, meaning everything in life is perfectly balanced and everything happens for a reason, nothing is coincidental.

Furthermore I want to explore this Idea of a coincidence, conveying to the player the notion that nothing in the game is accidental or random, even if it may seem so at first; each tiny event is completed for a reason.


Definition of The Butterfly Effect:

"In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions, where a small change at one place in a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state. The name of the effect, coined by Edward Lorenz, is derived from the theoretical example of a hurricane's formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks before.

Although the butterfly effect may appear to be an esoteric and unlikely behavior, it is exhibited by very simple systems: for example, a ball placed at the crest of a hill may roll into any of several valleys depending on, among other things, slight differences in initial position.

The butterfly effect is a common trope in fiction when presenting scenarios involving time travel and with hypotheses where one storyline diverges at the moment of a seemingly minor event resulting in two significantly different outcomes."

Wikipedia.com, The Butterfly Effect, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect