Copyright

Within any industry everyone has to be aware of copyright and the rights that come with it. Copyright gives the owner of that piece of work the right to control the way that their material can be used. It will cover copying, adapting, distributing, communicating to the public via transmission, public performance, renting and lending.

Anything in which you create that is an original artifact (drastically different from any other product) will be covered by copyright. The problem is however, copyright laws are different in each country so it can become quite confusing to know your rights. Something which has started to appear on a lot of pieces of work, especially on YouTube is 'Creative Commons'. Creative Commons is a nonprofit, legal framework, by attaching it to your piece of work you are agreeing for it to be shared, remixed and reused all legally. With the use of this it also transcends over international boundaries so there would be no more confusion over copyright laws of a particular piece of work.

In any case if you are wanting to use someone's work in some shape or form the best thing to do is to get in contact and ask. Throughout the film and animation modules, to make it easier for myself I have used royalty free music which don't have these copyright laws. There are many websites out there which have thousands of tracks free to download and use within your work.

Final Game Level

Now that my final game level is completed, I can look back on my original proposal to see if I have managed to meet the criteria I had set myself - Scenography Proposal. I tried my best to stick to what I had originally said, however there are a few things that when I look back, aren't exactly correct. Due to the playing area being 100mx100m the distance between the spaceship and the mushroom tree is actually quite close. Ideally I would have liked there to be more of a distance as this would create more mystery and the player would feel more inclined to explore the area.

What I did manage to keep up throughout the project is keeping all my assets looking quite organic and primitive, this was crucial as this gave a sense to how the aliens lived and what kind of species they were. If someone was to not read the scenography brief, then they need to get a good idea of the story with just the atmosphere and assets within the scene. There are things that I would like to change / work on if I had more time such as create more animations using the IK Splines. Another thing would be to find out how to offset the animation of each mushroom as right now they play altogether with no difference. With the glow script I just realised that the bump maps don't show up anymore, no matter how high you put it they just don't seem to appear, I would have really liked to fix this as it adds more depth to my assets but this is something I would have to look into in the future. Overall however I am pleased with what I have created but there still needs to be improvements in different areas.

Unity Web Player | Web_Version_Mushroom_Planet

« created with Unity »

Final Crit

We had a final crit for our game levels and everyone went round playing each other's game and writing down any feedback and constructive criticism they thought would help improve the game level in any way. Below is the feedback I got for mine, the main issue was the stairs leading up the mushroom so I need to sort that out as my main priority. I had issues with this beforehand so I knew this would most likely appear on my feedback sheet. Along with that I also got some new suggestions such as possibly add in particles as mushroom spores to add more atmosphere to the level. I thought this was a really good idea so I will be adding this in. Having a crit like this is really helpful as you are able to take the time and go through all the comments and each person has more of a chance to really look at your work and come up with suitable feedback. It was also good to see how everyone else was progressing and to see how their ideas had developed from the initial crit.

Moral Kombat

Moral Kombat is a documentary film that looks at the violence within the game industry. There is a lot of controversy about the types of violence that is portrayed and also how graphic it can be. There have been several cases where violence in video games have been linked to real world violence situations. Even though this may be the case, it is not thoroughly proven and in actual fact there have been situations where games have actually helped people. They can have a lot of impact on a person's life, it can help kids deal with things in their environment in which they may not be able to talk about to other people.

Violence itself has always been around in our culture and it can be a mechanism to draw attention, the question is though how can you use it to send a positive message? Maybe teaching historical events through games. Everyone has their own views/morals so of course what might not be offensive to one person, it may really affect another. There needs to be a balance between how violence is portrayed and how much of it takes place within a game. It should really be about  choice, the choices you make and the consequences that proceed them. Take the Fable series, you as a player have the choice of being either good or evil and it is because of these choices that certain events will take place.

In my opinion there should be a limit to how graphic violence should be, there is no need to accurately show it and with technology advancing and video game graphics becoming more realistic, it might just be too much. At the end of the day it is down to personal opinion and taste, but there needs to be an awareness about it all, parents need to know what is out on the market and what is suitable for their own child. There are now more generations that play games so it has almost become part of our culture, no-where in the near future will it ever be wiped out (and nor should it) so we need to embrace it. The developers themselves should have the free range to explore and it's in their right to make something but they should always bear in mind the morals and whether or not it is ethically correct.

Swaying Mushrooms

To make my game level a bit more interesting and to put my knowledge of joint chains and IK splines into test, I decided to create some mushrooms that would sway from side to side. These would be distributed around my scene to add a bit more character and also makes the scene come alive more as there are actual moving objects within it. Once I had my desired animation I then went ahead and baked it in order for it to be transferable to Unity when exported.



To begin with I thought that the way in which it moved, would not fit too well in my game level, however once putting it in I found that it was actually quite suiting and added with the music, flows quite nicely. At the moment within my Unity level they start off swaying automatically which is fine, however they are all playing in time with each other as I have just duplicated the one mushroom. I need to try and find a way to offset the animation as to make them differ from one another, this will make it look far more natural. I have tried finding a script for it, but no luck as of yet, I will probably need to delve a little deeper or ask for help at some point.

Sound within Unity

As sound plays a major part in any game, it is crucial that I include it within my game level. I tried to get sounds that would compliment my overall style and theme of the game but also add to the atmosphere that I wanted to achieve. I wanted something that would seem 'alien-like' / not of this world, hold some sort of mysterious quality to it but be slightly upbeat in the way of being suited towards a family game. I obtained my sounds from Soundtrack Pro and FindSounds.com. From Soundtrack Pro I was able to get some ambient music which would play in the background and from FindSounds I got my sound effects like the water and fire. I combined two different sounds together within Audacity that I had got form Soundtrack Pro, this ended up being the sound that would play as you would approach the mushroom tree. I found it quite fitting and it suited the style and feel I was going for.

Within Unity you can attach different sounds to either different objects or an empty game object. From here you can then edit the distance of when you can begin to hear the sound and when it starts fading away. Looping your sound will make sure that it will carry on playing from the beginning when finished so with ambient music it is always essential that this box is ticked as otherwise when the music stops it will take away the immersion from the game.

There are two different types of sound, 3D or 2D. 3D sound will move with the player, you can hear sound from the left and right, whereas 2D sound is static and doesn't have this affect. 3D sound is more realistic but it would depend on what you would want it for. I had problems to begin with as some of my 3D sound would distort as you would jump up and down, however I found out that this was due to the doppler level, so by dropping this down to 0 it took away the distortion. The doppler level is quite useful as the closer you get to the object the louder the sound will become and the further away you get, the quieter it will be. As I couldn't use this will my 3D sound I had to try and replicate this the best I could using the rolloff mode. I could adjust the distance of when the sound would begin and end so this was similar to the doppler level in some ways. With 2D sound, none of these settings are available so you do not have the same amount of control over it as you would with a 3D sound.

From the final crit, I got feedback saying the sound fits in and works well with my game level which I was hoping it would. There wasn't any criticism so I think I will keep it how it is and work more on the other parts of my game level from the feedback I obtained.

Terrain within Unity

The terrain would play a big part in my game level as it surrounds my whole area and further than the eye can see. I didn't want to use the pre-given terrain textures within Unity so I decided to download a selection from CG Textures and edit them within Photoshop to make them seamless. A seamless texture ensures that you cannot see where the texture joins up to one another and this is especially important when it comes to terrain as one texture will tessellate many times for it to cover the whole area created. Using the clone brush tool and offsetting the image at different pixels each time, you can paint over any noticeable lines where the seam would show up.

I tried to get similar coloured textures in order for them to blend into one another, yet have them different to each other so it can be distinguished that the terrain changes at different heights. It took me awhile to create the actual terrain as I had to experiment with a range of different styles that were available on Unity to see what combination would work best. The terrain itself encloses my area so the mountains would need to look realistic and organic otherwise it would defeat the point of even having a terrain around it. To begin with I was just going to have a platform in which the mushroom tree would be placed upon, however I wanted the whole level to be more organic so I decided to have the mushroom on a raised terrain which would connect with the surrounding area. I found that this blended in more and produced more of a continuity throughout the whole level.

Legends of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole'

Legends of Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole' was a film I recently watched and was captivated how realistic the owls looked and moved, yet they conveyed their emotions so well and so seamlessly it didn't seem out of place. As you watch it you realise how the feathers on the owls move like it would in real life, the feathers are affected by the wind in the real life way.  

They gathered real life reference by visiting an owl sanctuary in the UK as they were able to observe their movements and interactions with one another which is a major part of the film. Art director Grant Freckelton explained that they wanted to show so much emotion with their characters, but as the owls would constantly move their heads in real life it would become very distracting if that did exactly this within the film. To get around this they had to find a happy medium.

The environment design I found was really visually stunning and beautiful, the light and colours were really well thought out and placed. The overall atmosphere is emphasied by the lighting and depth of each scene, there are points within the film that just let you take it all in and admire the beauty of it all. There are scenes within the film that are in slow-motion and this really allows you to see each movement of the owl such as the fight scenes. Obviously there would be no real world reference of owls fighting in the way they wanted it, so to get a better idea they had stunt actors come in and preform fights in which the animators could record and then work from. They still needed it to be in the style of the owl so there were things that they could and couldn't do. The video shows this, along with per-visulisation, animation blocking, feathers added on top and some walk cycles. Any sort of making-of video gives you a real insight to the industry and how they went about creating their films. It also gives you an idea of where they get their inspiration from and how much of it always comes from real life sources.

L.A Noire

L.A Noire is a game that concentrated on a lot of facial animation to create more believability with the characters. To create a realistic look and feel Team Bondi (the company that created the facial animation) used motion scanning, rather than motion capture as motion capture even though good for body movements, it didn't really work well enough for facial. The video below shows the setup they used to capture facial movements and expressions. They would capture it from 360 degrees as well as from above and below, this would then go from 2D videos to 3D meshes and then compressed versions for the game.



Another interesting thing about L.A Noire is their use of sound design within the game. When interrogating people different sounds corresponds to whether you have got the answer right or wrong. It also gives you hints here and there, for example when you have found all the clues in a particular area a certain sound is heard. You are able to turn this hints on or off so it is the players own decision to whether they want them or not. There is a lot of interactivity within the game, when interrogating you have to study the faces and expressions of the character, they will give clues to whether they are telling the truth or lying. If you get the question wrong, it may lead to clues being undiscovered as the characters will cut the line of enquiry short, however if correct it may open up another line. Each case can play out very differently depending on how you interrogate someone and the amount of clues you find on the investigation scene. By doing this it randomizes the gameplay so it is not the same going through each case or mission.

Some people could say that L.A Noire is stuck within the uncanny valley, however this technology isn't like motion capture where it captures the bone movement, it captures what's on the outside. It creates a much higher detailed outcome. This article goes into more detail about the technology and gives you a good insight to how it was all achieved:
- How L.A. Noire Conquered The Uncanny Valley With A Tech Called MotionScan

Toy Story 3: The Video Game

My game level is aimed at families so I am trying to look at a range of games that would fit into that category. Toy Story 3: The Video Game is one that I would fit into a family orientated category as it has links to the film and also multiplayer games within it. The game itself has different missions which relates to the actual story and also offers a free-roam area where you can explore and complete mini missions playing as either Buzz, Woody or Jessie (just like the main missions).

Even though this game was created by Avalanche, they still kept in close contact with a group of people from Pixar and the work was reviewed by them every other week. This ensured that the game was as close to the film as it could be. When you watch the characters movements you can see how closely related they are to how they actually move in the film. In most video games, motion capture is used to animate the movements of the characters, however with Toy Story they were all hand drawn. This was the only way they could get the characters moving in such a similar way as it was all hand animated to begin with. They also went further with this and tried to get similar voice actors, when they couldn't get Tom Hanks to voice Woody, they got his brother instead. All this adds to the believability of the game but also the character. As Toy Story is so well known it is crucial to make sure that nothing is drastically different from the films or else it would be inconsistent.

The below video has an inside look into the game with people that worked on it and also Lee Unkrick (Director of Toy Story 3). It's interesting to see Lee Unkrick's view on the game and how it really expands on the original storyline.

Spaceship and Other Assets

This is my spaceship fully textured with a bump map. I found it quite hard to achieve what I had envisioned in my mind and in future I will definitely have to work on designing more. I have tried to keep it more futuristic and vastly different from the mushroom tree as it has crash landed on an alien planet. I want the player to be able to distinguish that these two things don't normally cross paths. The other image is off my statue that I created in order to show the player what type of alien would inhabit this planet. I tried to keep it organic with the way that I modeled it and the textures that I used are all natural things, like different types of stone and marble. I included a bump map into the actual statue, however as these are going to be place above the player (far out of reach) you wouldn't really be able to see the detail, so I didn't put a bump map for the plinth as there wasn't really a need for it.

Sound Design

Sound design plays a big part in any game as it helps give the player feedback to what is actually happen on screen. It also helps immerse the player into the experience of the whole game and provides entertainment in the form of interactivity. In films, sound is used to set the mood and suggest what emotion you may feel during a particular scene, this is pretty much the same in games as well. Soundtracks are used to express onscreen emotion and it can also identify the era and setting that you are viewing. Immersion is probably one of the main reasons for game audio as it helps create a more believable setting and can mask the sounds from the outside world. It can draw you in and conceal the outside world. If a game had no sound it wouldn't keep your attention at all, sound is also used to help you know what is going on around you. Take First Person Shooter games, without sound effects how would you know if you were injured or if other players were sneaking behind?

The music within a game can also establish the pace, fast music will create speed and an urgency which in turn can make the player feel inclined to complete something faster. Slower music can create a feeling of safety and players are able to explore the surrounding area. This may not be the case all the time as slower music can also be used to lull the player into a sense of false security, when they least expect it a monster could jump out an attack. This could also be classed as another form of immersion as for something to surprise/scare you, the player would need to be really involved within the game and not notice the signs around him/her.

When you have a game adaptation of a game it is more important to create believability within the characters. Players may already know what the characters sound like in films so if there was a completely different voice doing the voicing in the game it can be quite distracting. Toy Story 3: The Video Game tried their best to match Woody's voice, however when Tom Hanks was not available they used his brother instead.

There are many different ways to place music and where you place them can affect the player in different ways. The placing will also determine how the music should be. For the into, closing and credit sequences the music tends to be the main theme that runs through the game, the intro can also set the tone for the entire game experience. Music is used a lot for cut scenes as this will move the storyline ahead or conclude the scene that the player is on. In game and background is the most important throughout the game however it is the most subtle. Even though the player may not really notice the background sounds it can be a great influential tool as the music helps the player become more immersed within the game and connect with the actions on screen. You find that in a lot of games music is emphasized especially when it comes to either a victory or defeat. Something upbeat and triumphant will congratulate the player and show that they have done a good job. With defeats, it can go one of either two ways. For games aimed at younger players the sound can offer encouragement for them to try again, however with older games it can just emphasize that you have lost. This could actually be encouragement in a way as it could make the player determined to defeat the enemy and not loose again.

For my game level I am most likely going to be using ambient tracks as it will act as a backdrop to my scene and I want something quite calming and a feeling of safety yet something from another world. There are other things I could include such as trigger sounds however I feel that there is nothing really within my game level that would benefit from this. Instead I will most likely just adjust sound levels and work within Unity to make certain sounds fade away as you walk further from them.