The Levels: Elements and Inspiration

Each level is open world to an extent, the player will be able to go anywhere at anytime within the 'cube' of the level. All the levels are set a night, although some areas will have lighting so won't be as dark. The player will move to the next level once they have picked up all the collectibles within that level.

Level 1 

Demolished Prison theme
Antagonist: The Tormented (Disfigured creature) 
Elements: 
              Ruined Buildings - There will be a lot of these, some more destroyed than others
              Prison Cells - Some will be broken apart, others with skeletons in them
              Infirmary Tent - Showing experiments were performed
              Concrete Walls topped with Barbed Wire - There is no escape!!
Overall Concept: The idea is to show the antagonist was created within the prison and was a prisoner until he broke out, destroyed everything and killed everyone.
Colour Scheme: Dark and Matte - Greys, Browns, 
Inspiration: This particular level was inspired by the antagonist as I created The Tormented and thought up the level theme from his look and feel. I wanted a character with his mouth sewed shut and lots of chains round his body so from there I thought up a rough 'back-story', I felt a prison really fit this. 

Level 2 

Candy theme
Antagonist: Morigan (Old woman)
Elements: 
              Lollipops / Sweets - Giving off the strong candy theme
              Chocolate - Perhaps a chocolate fountain or river
              Gingerbread House - An inside area to explore
Overall Concept: The elements in the level will be fun and enticing, but the dark undertones will add tension. There will be a few surprises to add fear and throw the player off track.
Colour Scheme: Bright and Pastel - Pink, Orange, Blue
Inspiration: The main inspiration for this level came from Katy Perry's song (featuring Snoop Dog) California Gurls, I love the candy theme, it looks so aesthetically appealing. I want to recreate this but have a horrific twist that really contrasts with the overall 'pretty and delicious' theme.

Level 3 

Forest theme
Antagonist: Ta'loc (Non-Human)
Elements: 
              Sacrificial Burial Grounds - There will be different sacrifices - in type and method
              Tombs - Inside areas that can be explored 
              Alien Artifacts - Statues and otherworldly objects
Overall Concept: At first the forest will look fairly normal but full of alien things that will be creepy, scary but also interesting. The sacrifice areas will be very gruesome and make you wonder what the antagonist is and why it does these things. The antagonist is silent in this level so it'll be even more nerve-racking.
Colour Scheme: Dark and Natural - Green, Brown, Grey
Inspiration: Like the first level this theme was based on the character, which I created before the overall level idea. I really liked the idea of an antagonist that isn't of this world, once I decided I wanted a forest theme and linked it with the Ta'loc character the whole level came together with the alien and otherworldly concept. 

Level 4 

Roman theme
Antagonist: Trajan (Half man/half beast)
Elements: 
              Temples - Some will give inside ares to explore, others will be ruins
              Mythological Statues - Statues that represent known gods, may make my own too
              Pillars - To show pathways, ruined buildings and decorative effect
              Spears / Other Weapons - Near skeletons or as decorations
              Skeletons / bodies - To show there was a battle and that time has past
Overall Concept: The look I am aiming for is an ancient town / city that has stood for hundreds of years but was taken over by the antagonist. I want to also create certain elements from imagination but that are inspired on my research into Romans and mythology.
Colour Scheme: Dark and Strong - Grey, Red, Gold, Orange
Inspiration: This level was, again, loosely based on the antagonist character design. I pictured the creature to have amour pieces similar to the Romans. I love the colour scheme of red and gold, which is heavily used for Romans. The level concept has also drawn inspiration from Essos in Game of Thrones (where Daenerys is based) because I love the colour palette of the location and the overall feel of the environment. I have looked up some temples that I may recreate like the Temple of Faustina and the Pantheon.

Level 5 

Circus theme
Antagonist: Lucy (The young girl)
Elements: 
              Maze - The primary element is a huge circus-themed maze
              Mirrors - Will cover some of the walls of the maze
              Ferris Wheel - Will 'turn on' when player is close, to make them jump/add tension
              Bouncy Castle - Will be gruesome inside
              Clowns - There will be creepy clown imagery throughout the environment
Overall Concept: I want this level to be the most terrifying, it will be full of jumpy parts, gruesome areas and the maze will add the feeling of being lost. When the Ferris wheel turns on it will be loud and bright, which will alert the antagonist.
Colour Scheme: Bright and Basic - Red, Yellow, Blue
Inspiration: This was the last level to be decided as I was torn between a circus theme and a hospital theme. I knew both would be scary but I decided to go with the circus concept because I could see it as being more creepy. I am one of the many people who are scared of clowns so I know that this will add to the fear factor within the game. I didn't want to have a clown as the antagonist because I feel the player would expect that.

Thanks for reading. X

The Levels: Themes and The Collectibles

The Levels

Here are each of the level themes I have chosen, the order may change a bit but this should be close to the actual play through. I'll put a description of each character in brackets so you know who I mean.

Level 1 
Demolished Prison theme
Antagonist: The Tormented (Disfigured creature) 

Level 2 
Candy theme
Antagonist: Morigan (Old woman)

Level 3 
Forest theme
Antagonist: Ta'loc (Non-Human)

Level 4 
Roman theme
Antagonist: Trajan (Half man/half beast)

Level 5 
Circus theme
Antagonist: Lucy (The young girl)

The Collectibles

In each of the levels there will be 5 collectibles that will allow the player to progress to the next level. The collectibles will be hard to find but glow slightly to show the player that they need to pick them up. There will also be an easter egg that unlocks special downloadable content. Each collectible represents a level and is styled as such this will give the player an idea of whats to come as they play through the levels. 

Here is the list: -

Shackles

Gummy Bear

Alien Object

Bust

Doll

The Easter Egg: An inanimate miniature of the respective antagonist for the level, for example for the circus level the easter egg will be a miniature version of Lucy.

I will be focusing on the individual levels in the next post, to get an idea of the objects and atmosphere within each level.

Thanks for reading. X

The Antagonists: Phase 1

The 5 Antagonists

Here are some notes I have put together for three of the antagonists for my game. Nothing is set in stone I am just playing around with different ideas. Some characters aren't as fully formed as others yet. They aren't in any particular order.

Character 1

Name: Lucy
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Appearance: 
                        Long black hair
                        Blue eyes: snake-like
                        White dress
                        Claw hand - Black
                        Scaled arm - longer than other arm
Fighting Style: 
                        Fast 
                        Deadly Sharp Claw
Noise: Singing or Whistling

Character 2

Name: (Haven't Decided)
Gender:  Male
Age: N/A
Appearance: 
                       Half Human Half Beast
                       Roman Style Armour
                       Big
                       Dominating
                       Horns
                       Chains
                       Large Weapon - Hammer or Axe
Fighting Style: 
                       Slow
                       Large Melee Weapon
Noise: Weapon dragging on the ground or Growling

Character 3

Name: (Haven't Decided)
Gender: Female
Age: 70s - 80s
Appearance: 
                       Wrinkled Skin
                       Blind in one eye (white)
                       Pink Clothes
Fighting Style:
                        Orders Minions (troll-like creature)?
                        Uses Magic?                 
Noise: Evil Laugh

Character 4

Name: (Haven't Decided)

Gender: Male
Age: N/A
Appearance: 
                       Non human (Alien?)
                       Otherworldly
                       Creepy (Skeletal?)
                       Bald
                       Sideways Mouth - Jagged Teeth
                       Black eyes - One Eye?
                       Talon-like Fingers
                       Scars
                       Blood Stained - Face / Clothes
                       Necklace of Teeth or Fingers
Fighting Style: 
                       Fast
                       Dismembers and Eats
Noise: Silent

Character 5

Name: (Haven't Decided)

Gender: N/A
Age: N/A
Appearance: 
                       Frankenstein Style? (Greatly Disfigured)
                       Muscular
                       Mouth Sewed Shut
                       Chains
                       Walks with a Limp
Fighting Style: 
                       Slow
                       Brute Strength
                       Unarmed 
Noise: Chains crashing together

I hope this was interesting. Thanks for reading. X

Software and Tutorial Sites

Adobe Software

The past few days I have been debating which version I should use CS 5.5, CS 6 or the Creative Cloud. CS 5.5 would've been the cheaper option since my friend owns a copy but I decided to go with the Creative Cloud, at £15.88 a month, it's such a good deal because you get all the latest Adobe programs including Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

Autodesk Software

I have been working with the 2013 and 2014 versions of 3DS Max for the past two years. I decided to install the newest version, 2015, for this project, as I wanted all the latest features and my laptop is powerful enough for it.

Tutorial Sites

I have been looking at different tutorial sites here are some good ones : - Tuts +, Digital Tutors, Lynda.com, 3D Buzz, Unity 3D Student and Ctrl+Paint. The last two are free to use. Ctrl+Paint is amazing! It focuses on graphic painting in Photoshop, it's incredibly helpful. The other sites mentioned are also great, they are more broad covering things like 3D modelling, game development and website development, although they do cost money. I have used Digital Tutors for the past year or so on other projects, I really like the way each tutorial is divided into separate shorter videos, which makes it easy to follow especially for the more advanced topics.

Thanks for reading. X

Graphic Design: Inspiration

So, here it is, my Wacom Tablet. 

I ordered it online yesterday and picked it up in store today. It's surprisingly lighter than I thought it would be. I love the sleek design and the feel of the active area. It takes a while to get to use to as I haven't really used graphic tablets in the past but it's a really nice product.

Some Great Tutorials

As I mentioned in my last post I have been watching a lot of videos by Draw with Jazza on YouTube, they have been so useful and have given me an insight into different techniques and processes I should use when drawing.
Another YouTube channel I have been watching is GrawvyRobber, which has also been really helpful. I have found watching tutorials can be really daunting and the more I watch the more I realize that they are essential for me as a beginner so I can learn the fundamentals from more experienced graphic painters.

My Ideas

I want to create similar landscapes, as seen in GrawvyRobber landscape painting tutorial, for my website artwork. My aim is to paint environment concept art that shows the different levels within the game. I feel this will give the website the same feel as the game and make it more immersive.

I'm off to watch some more tutorials...

Graphic Design: Tablet Research

You've guessed it... I have been looking at graphic tablets for the digital painting side of my project.

Wacom vs Other Brands 

Wacom is, of course, the most well known brand of tablet. After doing research into other options I found Monoprice, Huion and a few others that are less well known but cheaper. After reading some reviews and much contemplation I decided to go for the Wacom brand. I know their products are of a good quality and I didn't mind spending a bit more to get a better product.

intuos vs bamboo

After deciding I was going to go for the Wacom brand I was faced with this dilemma : - intuos vs bamboo. There was an obvious price difference between the too and after some research it seemed there were certain attributes the bamboo lacked, for example a lower pressure sensitivity, less ergonomic and you can't program shortcuts for each individual program. I really want to make sure I have a great quality product and I didn't mind spending a bit extra, the intuos has had some great reviews so I decided that this was the tablet for me.

Small vs Medium

I went for a medium size graphic tablet because I wanted to have a bigger active area for larger images and the ability for a wider range of motion.

Draw with Jazza

Whilst researching graphic tablets I stumbled across this YouTube channel. This video in particular, Digital Tablets! - How Much, Why, Who, etc., really helped me make my decision. 
I would also like to add that his YouTube channel is amazing, he is a very talented graphic artist and I will be watching his videos a lot in the coming weeks.

Thanks for reading. 

X

Game Research: Antagonists

Researched Antagonists for Inspiration

The Joker

He is an iconic character in the Batman franchise, his personality, look and laugh are very memorable. He is the perfect villain because he doesn't have a hidden agenda for money or power he just wants to see the world burn. The Joker's visual appearance has a really creepy element, the over-the-top make-up and facial scarring really match his crazy personality.

https://tangynt.wordpress.com/tag/the-joker/

Lord Voldemort

This villain is a great example of a non human character, he use to be human but he divided his soul to become immortal so now he is another being entirely. He is evil and powerful with a full-on back story that all Harry Potter fans will know. Voldemort has certain human-like features like the shape of his head and the position of his eyes and mouth. He also has snake-like features like his nose and the slightly scaled affect on his skin. 

http://dumbledoresarmyroleplay.wikia.com/wiki/File:Voldemort.jpeg

Professor Umbridge

She is probably more hated than Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise, due to her personality, overly harsh punishments and sickly sweet voice and look. Umbridge's visual appearance may be deceiving, she looks like an older aunt with her well groomed grey hair, knitted pink clothes and heavy pink lip-stick yet her posture and movements suggest her darker personality.

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/File:Dolores_Umbridge_(Promo_still_from_HP5_movie)_10-15-2009.jpg

Slenderman

He has such a simple character design yet he is really scary in the Slender Games. The fact he doesn't have a face is rather chilling, he doesn't have eyes yet you feel he is staring at you. Sometimes simplicity really does pay off.










http://camusaltamirano.deviantart.com/art/Slenderman-353586833

Clickers (The Last of Us)

When playing The Last of Us the most terrifying monster you come across are the Clickers. You will hear them before you see them, the noise they make is just as scary. On top of this they are really hard to kill. As you can see from the image these characters are very disfigured but were clearly once human.
This video shows you how scary the noise they make is, especially when you're in a dark environment.







http://www.psu.com/a018184/Meet-the-Clickers-and-Runners-two-Infected-in-The-Last-of-Us

King Joffrey

Even though this character isn't visually scary, he has a very sadistic and malicious personality. Anyone who has watched Game of Thrones or read the books will hate this character a great deal. King Joffrey's acts of aggression aren't usually provoked he just enjoys causing pain, which makes him even more evil.









http://de.gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Datei:Joffrey.jpg

My Antagonist ideas

I will create 5 antagonists, one for each level of the game. 

All the villains I have researched are memorable in their own way, I hope to design unique characters that have the same impact.

Here are some traits that I have been thinking of including: - Sweet looking, scarring, dominating, half animal and an alien type creature. I will keep coming up with more ideas, I am in the creative thinking and note taking phase at the moment.

I want my characters to have personal voices or noises that the player will associate with them, when the antagonist is getting closer to the player this noise will get louder, to add intensity.

Thanks for reading...I'm off to look at graphic tablets. X

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the images in this post.

A Little Introduction

Hi...

I have started this blog to document the journey I take through the development of my project. The sheer size of the project means I have to remain organised throughout the process so I will use this blog as a way to ensure I stay on track.

What is it?

As I have mentioned in the description the project I am working on is a website and a horror game.

Why?

I have chosen this project because it gives me a lot of scope to increase my skills in so many different areas from HTML coding to digital painting. Also, I really want to go into either the website development industry or the gaming industry when I have finished my university degree.

How long? 

I have around 43 weeks to complete this project.

What software?

The programs I plan to use are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, Autodesk 3DS Max, Autodesk Mudbox and Unity. 
The coding languages I will be using are HTML 5, CSS3, Javascript and C#.
There may be other programs and languages I decide will be useful later down the line but these are the main ones.

What hardware?

After looking everywhere for a laptop that meets all of my requirements I eventually found PC Specialist through a classmate. This site is incredible, I was able to enter in all my requirements and end up with the perfect laptop for me at a decent price.

Lets begin...