Research: Sub Characters

Here’s some imagery for my sub characters, including feature items and their associated animal/plant (for their profile screens.

Dr Tai Muliaina

Anyu Aariak

Brittany Beale

Philippe Durand

Aishwarya Tata

Manuel Cordeiro

 

Research: Modelling

ZBrush Tutorials
I will try and use this feature of ZB4 with Maya. ZBrush 3.5 didn’t have this feature as they were developing it for ZB4. Here’s a tute showing it working in ZB4 but for use in 3DS Max.

Modelling Techniques
The modelled heads below were variations created from the single male and female low poly base meshes on the left. After talking to Tanya and Scott Spencer, I’ve decided to use the same technique to quickly generate my 10 different characters that I will model (4 fully-modelled bodies, 6 half-body torso’s).

Nicholas Collings

Character Poses
Dynamic Figure Poses – “Being able to draw figures which get emotion across with their body is the most important thing” – David Finch.

Sketches of my characters in poses which convey emotion.
(to be completed after Interim presentation)

 

Research: Game Interface Design

Gamepad Controller Usage
I want to use a gamepad controller to navigate through my game menu choices as this will simulate an actual “playstation” type game menu that I’m designing my game for. I used the youtube video below to install and operate a playstation 3 controller on my pc running windows xp.

Gameplay
Here is an example of a traditional fighting game interface with 2D characters and 2D environment. Fighting/combat is restricted to movement along a 2D plane.

Recent game mimicing the traditional “characters moving along a 2D plane” even though the environment and characters are 3D.

The latest version of Mortal Kombat (series no.9) reviewed at E3 (2010). The creator, Ed Boon has taken all the best parts of the previous 8 versions and incorporated them into an authentic, high quality, fast-paced masterpiece.

Character Selection Screens
Some examples

Character (In game) Bios

 

Research: Environments

General Environment Research
(to be added)

Chinese Medicine Store

Taiji Maru 3

Wildlife Reserve
(to be completed after Interim presentation if I decide to do 3 environments)

 

Research: Main Characters

General Research
My supervisor Tanya suggested that I look at short snippet character intros. Two character intros from the Borderlands video game. The narration is the same but the character intros are told in very different ways using different storytelling techniques.

Zhang Lian (main character)
Here’s some images of clothing, hair, bracelet, swords, medicine gourd etc which I used as reference material in the development of Zhang Lian (Chinese Herbalist).

Wambua Odayo (main character)
Dressed in military camo colours, wearing either a ranger-style floppy hat or beret and armed with a semi-automatic rifle. The rangers also use jeeps to cover large distances or to transport the dead remains of poached game or captured poachers.

Tomas Van Buren (main character)
I want this character to be big, brutish and have an anger management problem. I am modelling Tomas on a para-military/mercenary soldier/special forces type character.

Here’s some links to his military background and the endangered species his wife was protecting.
Maritime Special Operations Forces (MARSOF) are part of the Netherlands Marine Corps
Rhino poaching in South Africa
Northern White Rhino pushed toward extinction
Northern White Rhino Info on IFAW
International Rhino Foundation
White Rhino Conservation Project

Jun Tanaka (main character)

 

Research: Game Aesthetic

My chosen aesthetic
After researching the aesthetic of fighting games from the ’80’s to the present, I conclude that many of these types of games:
– use non-realistic character and environment portrayal (often either anime or comicbook styled)
– have a rich and vibrant colour palette

Other Aesthetics
I looked into other various aesthetic treatments as well, such as Anime, Semi-realistic, Fantasy. I may draw on elements of these in my game aesthetic although I’m trying to avoiding mixing and matching in case I confuse the target audience. Some examples follow.