Here is my first initial design idea for the "western ranch" set. It has been drawn using 2-point perspective to include more views than 1-point perspective would. However for the purpose of the game, 1-point perspective would probably be more suitable - similar to a shooting range where the room appears to get narrower in the distance (as featured in most shooter games from research). The main issue with this design is the limited places for enemy targets to appear from. With the barn only having 1 window and door, the main feature of the scene has 2 target locations - hardly the main focus of attention. The surrounds offer more hiding places such as the cart, rocks and foliage, which in my opinion makes the barn unsuccessful. If I were to develop this design further, it would be to add more windows (or holes of some kind) so that the player can focus on the barn as the main area of attack - as it should be.
The next initial design idea depicts a "western town" again in 2-point perspective to show all the possibilities that the scene could allow. This set is more built up than the "western ranch" and would require more 3D modelling and texturing - this is an important factor to consider for project time management. The positive of this design however is the amount of places an enemy target could appear from, such as within the many windows, behind columns, inside doorways, behind barrels etc. As mentioned however, the amount of time this design would take to create may make it obsolete and not relevant for this short project.
Lastly is the "western saloon" set idea. Instead of using 2-point perspective as I did with the above concepts, it was time to test out 1-point perspective - which as I initially thought - is far more suitable for the style of the game than 2-point. Firstly 2-point wouldn't have given the effect that I had in mind - the fear factor of an exposed entrance looming in front of the player, and secondly I only wanted to describe the inside of one room so scale was irrelevant. The only reason that I used 2-point for the previous designs was it allowed me to display the size of an area effectively and to include details which 1-point wouldn't have allowed for - such as some side angles and aerial views.
Taking game play into consideration I decided to add more "peep holes" into the scene which are intended to be the result of the alien attack. This allows for more targets to be in the scene at one time therefore making the game more challenging, as well as helping the player understand what is happening - they're under attack!
As you may have noticed in all of the above images, my research into these 3 different locations and the images which it contained were a huge influence on the overall outcome. I took specific elements from each image and combined them with my own ideas to create scenes which resembled the theme I wanted; western.
My preferred scene after drawing out my ideas is the saloon, mostly because it immerses the player into the situation the best (a cowboy or cowgirl fighting for survival). I only realized after comparing the 3 designs that the previous 2 (the ranch and the town) don't describe this situation very well - instead they describe that aliens belong to the western structures and are being invaded by the cowboys/cowgirls (as they are firing into the structures from the outside). Realistically, the inhabitants of the structures would be defending themselves from the inside, as the saloon scene describes. It also is the most sensible to create in terms of time and the approaching deadline.
To help with the developed final version of this design I will need to research images of damage to structures - perhaps from places involved in wars. This will then give me a reference to help get this effect correct - instead of trying to create this off the top of my head. Other than this I currently have all of the images that I need in my research to help create this scene as it should be.
The Opponent
With the set design now decided upon, the next part of the game to design is the alien invaders. As I have previously mentioned in the game synopsis, the concept in mind was the typical "martian" with a large head and small body; featured below.
To begin with I created this quick design completely off the top of my head without any reference material to get an idea of what I needed to research in order to create a better picture of these characters.
Firstly the martian body shape needs to be researched - will the body be thin and frail in comparison to the large head or will they remain in relative proportion? Some different alien physiques would be useful.
Secondly, the clothing. A typical space jumpsuit will suffice to represent these characters, combined with my personal input - the cloak. A selection of images of space jumpsuits and similar attires will help greatly.
Thirdly and lastly, the weapon. As long as it looks relatively futuristic then it will be successful. It doesn't need to be complicated due to the time left available to complete the project, so something similar to the weapon drawn above will suffice. Some images of futuristic weapons, preferably rifles are required.
Using the new research of reference images detailed above, I have combined the elements to create the following development of the previous initial idea, featured below.
This combined result is exactly the idea I was working towards - a battle frenzied martian, equipped with sci-fi clothing and weaponry. The end result of this in the actual game may be a more simplified version - depending on the time remaining to complete the project. With the character being a humanoid figure it will ideally need to be rigged and animated (a skill I have never done before) for use within the game, else the character will be static and float. This may or may not be an issue - for example moving past the windows outside the saloon the legs would not be visible. As I said, time will be the deciding factor.
Player Weapon
As I discovered in my research, the ideal weapon for the player is the famous "Winchester" rifle - a simple yet typical western weapon. This single shot design will force the player to choose their targets carefully as opposed to holding down the mouse button for rapid fire like many casual shooters allow for.
User Interface
The final element of the game which needs to be designed is the UI (user interface). The main feature of the UI is to tell the player important game information such as a time limit or an ammunition count. As described in the final game synopsis, the game will conclude once the time limit expires - symbolizing the end of the enemy attack - so a countdown timer will be needed. Also a points total should be visible so that the player can see how well or how poorly they are performing. These interfaces should not obstruct the player's view of the scene - which is something to bare in mind. Some research of shooter UI's would be useful to assist with designing.
Having now conducted some research into UI's I can now conclude the design for the UI for my game. As I mentioned above, the UI must consist of a countdown timer and a point scorer which must not obscure the view of any targets in the scene. The design in mind will match this requirement - and will be displayed merely as numerical figures in a vibrant colour so that they are apparent; but not too bright so that they don't detract eyes from the scene. No backgrounds or logos etc will be necessary for the UI as they would also degrade the scene visually which is currently the best element the game has to offer. Simple yet effective is the route to go down - which is also the most appropriate for a casual game.
The final element of the game which needs to be designed is the UI (user interface). The main feature of the UI is to tell the player important game information such as a time limit or an ammunition count. As described in the final game synopsis, the game will conclude once the time limit expires - symbolizing the end of the enemy attack - so a countdown timer will be needed. Also a points total should be visible so that the player can see how well or how poorly they are performing. These interfaces should not obstruct the player's view of the scene - which is something to bare in mind. Some research of shooter UI's would be useful to assist with designing.
Having now conducted some research into UI's I can now conclude the design for the UI for my game. As I mentioned above, the UI must consist of a countdown timer and a point scorer which must not obscure the view of any targets in the scene. The design in mind will match this requirement - and will be displayed merely as numerical figures in a vibrant colour so that they are apparent; but not too bright so that they don't detract eyes from the scene. No backgrounds or logos etc will be necessary for the UI as they would also degrade the scene visually which is currently the best element the game has to offer. Simple yet effective is the route to go down - which is also the most appropriate for a casual game.
No comments:
Post a Comment