Draft dissertation proposal

So this week i've been working on my dissertation proposal. Here is my draft and after i've been advised for changes i'll upload a more accurate one, Enjoy.

Dissertation proposal

After researching into the Culture of China by using videos, articles, blogs and a variety of books; for my dissertation I wish to design and create a small ancient Chinese temple with courtyard using 3ds Max which will be imported into UDK. This temple will be constructed out of modular pieces that a level designer could then create their own temple layout from. The layout of size and scale will be that of a first person game and so the assets will need to be scaled as such. I will be trying to keep as much ancient Chinese architectural accuracy through this dissertation with the structure of these modular pieces which means the models will be relatively high poly.

 Rationale:

The skills I wish to develop over the following year and of the completion of this project are as follows

·         To research and gain more knowledge as well as an understanding of the importance in modularity within games, especially within level creation.

·         From that I also want to be able to learn about a complex system of architecture (Dougong) and replicate that into a 3d model. Building from my knowledge of modularity, to then design these models into modular pieces.

·         Gain a better understanding of texturing and unwrapping models to improve my modelling skills overall to help me obtain a career in the games industry.

 After university, I want to become a 3D Game Artist. Although having a portfolio of work to show will help me acquire a job such as this, I need to work on the skills that are required of me to be employed in that job role in the industry.

 After looking through many 3D Game Artist applications there were many requirements that were relatively common upon the applications. A proficiency in 3DS Max was a requirement on many of these and as I plan to construct my models using 3ds Max, I hope to become more competent using that software package. Great knowledge of Adobe Photoshop was also popular, although I already have a good knowledge of this; I also hope to create a better understanding through the project as I am working alone. High quality texture creature as well as unwrapping skills is one of the skill sets that cropped a lot that I don’t feel very comfortable with so I plan on improving a great deal over this dissertation.  Knowledge of using Normal mapping with the textures was also common; this ties in with the previous requirement also. I have got experience with creating Normal maps for textures but I hope to demonstrate my ability to develop and learn this skill over the next year. I also took the chance to look at a senior position in the 3D Artist job field. It mentions that a “strong knowledge of architecture” is a requirement. This criteria sits perfectly on what I want to achieve over my dissertation; to prove that I can research a highly unknown system of architecture and then to design and create reusable game models from my knowledge and understanding.

 I have a desire to complete this project in particular as I admire the master craftsmanship that can be seen in Chinese architecture over many centuries. I also found that “Chinese architecture has been studied less than the architecture of almost any other great civilization on the globe.” Steinhardt, Nancy 2002 P1. From this fact I also found that they are also missing from our computer games, let alone our western libraries. This is an academic reason why I want to take this challenge on, to construct a scene that is not necessarily fully understood in our culture.

 

Annotated bibliography:

Below are the books and material I have used for research to support me during my proposal defining process. Here I will name the item and also how it helped me and why.

 

House Architecture [Chinese Architecture]: University of Washington [viewed 2013]. Available from: http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/3intrhme.htm.

 This online blog was hugely resourceful in the information about Chinese house architecture. Especially informative of old Chinese construction traditions such as Chinese orientate their houses South to stop the cold wind from the North. It also gives extensive information about the layout of the houses with sources. The author of this blog however is unknown.

Chen, F. (2009) "how all the Components of a Small [Old East Asian] Building Fit Together". [Dougong Chinese Building]. F. Chen ed., Youtube, 17th January 2009.

This was the video that I used to help construct my mock Chinese building on. It proved very useful in understanding a complex system of ‘Dougong.’ I found no other resource online as clear as this to show how to construct Dougong correctly. From this research I feel that I could construct my own building without guidance.

Chen, F. (2009) Anshina's Architecture (Episode 1): Dougong (斗拱). [Dougong].Youtube/Blogspot: , 31 January 2009,.

Dougong is a complex system of wooden blocks which interlock to create a series of building that can be coloured and very decorative. It also demonstrated to me the difference between each block and why they are called what they are. It had an interesting section explaining that the more layers of Dougong in a buildings construction, the more important the person who owns, works or lives in that building is in society.

Lin, Lentz, Sturgill and Reed 'Using Workflow Techniques and Modularity' DOI http://udn.epicgames.com/Two/WorkflowAndModularity.html.

Modularity I found is an important design choice when it comes to level design and creating game assets. This article teaches you the small things that a 3D modeler can do to help improve the workflow of a development team and the game through subtle change in habits to construct modular game assets. This in turn helps the efficiency and can create a greater game overall. This article I will be using to help me guide myself through the modularity section to my dissertation. This also had a detailed section about using the Grid on 3DS Max and I will hopefully be using this advice in the construction of my models.

Mlicka, A. (2006) The Psychology of the Interior. [PDF Online].BFA ed. Personal Website: June 2006.

From research into the construction of homes I found that the Chinese see a wall as a symbolic space maker and not a load bearing object in construction. From that I was advised to look up this article about The Psychology of the Interior. Mlicka goes deep into the meaning of a wall in different cultures which made me think highly of when I construct my own modular assets. The walls will need to be considered an optional asset to tie in with Chinese architectural culture.

Norwich, J., John. (1994) 'China' in Norwich J., John. The World Atlas of Architecture. 1st ed. London: Mitchell Beazley Publishers, Dec 1994 pp. 18-32.

The information and illustrations within this book inspired me to look deeper into the architecture and culture. The attention to detail of the illustrations of houses as well as the layouts of palaces are useful for deciding on my modular cut off points and orientation of objects. It has an interesting section about the architecture of monuments p28-29 which I will find useful for the layout of each asset.

PERRY, L. 2002, November 2002. Modular Level and Component Design. Game Developer Magazine 1(1), 30-35.

This article was written by the lead level design for the video game Gears of war for Epic. In this article Lee Perry explains the importance and advantages of using modular assets for the use of level design.

Rawski, E. and Rawson, J. (2005) 'Imperial Architecture of the Qing: Palaces and Retreats' in Rawski E. and Rawson J. China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795. 1st ed. London: Royal Academy of Arts, pp. 54-62.

The section of the book illustrates the symmetry involved within Chinese construction and helps me emphasis the reason for creating this dissertation out of modular pieces.

Xinian, F. F., Datheng, G., Xujie, L., Guxi, P., Yun, Q. and Dazhang, S. (2003) A History of Chinese Architecture 1st ed. Yale University Press, 4 Feb 2003.

This is quite possibly the most important piece of research to my dissertation, this is one of the first books that take six Chinese architects and get them to talk and explain about the different types and architectural techniques over the history of Chinas existence, even from before China existed. The book explains why and how China made their buildings modular. They have the ability to deconstruct a building and re-erect it perfectly without the need for nails or adhesives. Also explaining about how radical Chinese building techniques were that Korea and Japan took the same principal and used them in the majority of their own architecture. There are also diagrams showing how Dougong is constructed within some of the elaborate structures as well as decorations of the system.

Yu, M., Oda, Y., Fang, D. and Zhao, J. (2008) 'Advances in Structural Mechanics of Chinese Ancient Architectures'. Frontiers of Architecture and Civil Engineering in China, Mar 2008, 2 (1), pp. 1-25.

The structure of the system Dougong and how each piece interacts with each other are shown here, as well as different types of joinery are shown. Helpful for when I come to designing and making my own modular assets.

Zhang, S. and Lu, R. (2012) 'ICA3D – Intelligent Computer-Aided Ancient Chinese Architecture Design'. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 10, 26 (4), pp. 705-715.

Here I found research about a 3D modeling package that has been designed to produce a Chinese architecture instantly, however the parameters you need to put within the program to get what you need, requires a great amount of detail and knowledge of Chinese architecture.

 Project Timeline:

4^th November - Finish draft and hand in final dissertation proposal before the 4^th of November

 25^th November – Have researched into one dynasty of the Chinese culture and choose the style of village I want to create. Also begin to draw top down layout designs on how I would like my temple and courtyard to look.

 9^th December – Decide on scale and size of the models as well as to construct an asset list of what will need to be modelled. Complete individual drawings of the general look of each model to aid in the construction of the models.

 20^th January – To begin or have modelled each asset without unwrapping UVW’s. Test scale and size in UDK where possible. Assemble a basic model of the modular assets to see them all together.

 17^th February – Continue modelling if needed and start UVW unwrapping on each asset ready for texturing. (May take longer as not as experienced in UVW unwrapping)

 10^th March – Begin the texturing of each asset

 24^th March – Import and construct the temple within UDK with textures and assets.

 7^th April – touch up and add more details to models where needed.

 7^th April - 15^th May – Work on finalising dissertation

 17^th May – 16^th May to be the absolute deadline of handing in dissertation.

 Word count: 1829

The modelling challenge: Complete

Wow oh wow. If you remember from my previous post, my challenge was to create an ancient Chinese structure using the same methods used known as 'Dougong'. I must say that the challenge was a steep learning curve in terms of understanding the way in which Dougong is constructed. Although it was difficult, I did prevail and to great success. I attempted to construct the model without a poly count limit to give myself a general view over the next time I model the next building. I also thought at the end of the model that I could of cut down on some basic reoccurring shapes. I quickly learnt that the 'Dougongs' come in a variety of shapes and sizes in order to interlock and create the structure.  By the end of the model I had at least 4 different types of caps, blocks and bows. This also doesn't count for different beams for the main supports or the roof. Roof tiles were created with some simple shapes instead of individual tiles just to simply to reduce poly count for the sake of the mock up model. Below is a set of quick Default scanline renders from within 3ds Max showing the model. The colours of each shape are used to help distinguish the style, they are not textures or materials.



Perspective view

Front view

Side view

Bottom view

Top view



Unroofed perspective





Close up of Dougong detail





Perspective view again



From what I've learnt here from this challenge I need to have a talk with my lecturer about how to progress from here. I personally feel that this challenge was a success and showed me that ancient architecture isn't as difficult as I first thought if you follow a few simple steps and take your time with the construction. The building used about 11k polygons which is what I need to discuss with him if it's possible to construct this model low poly, however I am yet to consider making this modular. The building itself is modular to some extent by the way It is constructed, however these pieces are far too small to be considered efficient for game environment creation. Although during the modelling process I did think about how it could be turned modular and will continue to do so.

Proposal defining through 'Dougong' and the problems...

Situated in Nanjing, Conficius Temple

Ancient Chinese architecture is one of the least studied fields in the Western world, an important reason behind this is the fact that the Chinese over the centuries didn't write down or document their developments to a great extent. Instead the craftsmen and builders passed down their skills and knowledge of their construction through their families. "Because of the lack of knowledge of the roots of Chinese architecture, description of its elements is often translated into Western terms and architectural theory, losing its unique Chinese meanings." - Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman (2002). There is a cause to the lack of ignorance in the western world of the Chinese architectural study. This is because two major Chinese government architecture manuals were never and still have never been translated into a western language. Yingzao Fashi by Li Jie which is a technical document on the architecture and craftsmanship during the Song Dynasty as well as the document Quing Architecture Standards.
 

Shape

A major characteristic that sticks out in the architecture is that symmetry is a common feature. Symmetry became standard building practise due to the rapid expanding villages and towns throughout China.

Demonstration of symmetry and shape of chinese design

 
Orientation

The majority of the houses face south, even the modern houses built today will be constructed with the front door/entrance facing south if space allows. This is believed to be done in order to gain maximum sunlight within the house as well as avoiding the prevailing cold winds blown in from the north. Unlike western architecture chinese domestic architecture has a striking practice when orientating their houses. Due to the way the timber framing/skeleton is made, nearly all buildings and temples are desined to symetrical or rectangular.

 

Timber

 

Due to the fact not so much Western material is around based on Chinese ancient architecture, I'm finding it rather difficult to get my head around the way that the majority of ancient buildings are designed and built. However this only leads to challenge in the dissertation, I like challenges. The most confusing part of the Chinese structure I find is the way in which they construct the houses skeleton/framework from timber. Unlike Western construction methods, to the Chinese, a wall only defines an enclosure for a place in the building, however in our culture we use walls as load-bearers. These walls in Chinese architecture are known as 'curtain walls'. This gives me an important feature to think about with my modular assets; walls are not necessarily needed within a building and so should be an individual asset.

Dougong

'Dougong' which literally means "Cap and block" is the unique structural element of Chinese architecture. It is the name for the interlocking wooden brackets which supports the roofing. 'Dou' is the column on which the house uses as the supporting base, and 'gong' is the bow shaped brackets. After the Song Dynasty, these brackets became a more ornamental flare instead of aiding the structure, these are mostly used within important and religious buildings and not so much small residential homes. This is a major concern for me and I want to flag this up before I go on further in my dissertation. The complexities of the roof structure as well at the lack of documentation may lead me to modelling the roof in a different way. Although I would greatly enjoy the challenge of making it myself.

Timber Joints from Yingzao Fashi's book

Timber intersections from Yingzao Fashi's book

As soon as timber was becoming a major construction material within building, joinery has been a great passion and focus of the craftsmen of China who practised their skill so much to standards that their joinery would require no glue or fasteners. Although I wont be able to go into that much detail when modelling due to polygon count, emphasising the craftsman's skill by showing the joints on the timber with textures would be an accurate touch to the final model and could lead to more possible research?

The challenge
Now I have a greater understanding of the construction methods I will now try to attempt to make my own 'Dougong' set within 3ds Max and see if I can construct a skeleton of an ancient Chinese building.

What this will achieve for myself and my dissertation
As suggested in a previous post, attempting this will give me a better idea on my scope for the project. Currently my dissertation question is: Can a complex architectural structure such as ancient Chinese buildings be made into modular assets for use in a game engine?

From attempting this task it will give me an answer of if it's possible. If it is not possible, why not and what can I do to make this possible? If it is impossible after consulting with my lecturer, what alternative can I create? Also the complexity of the architecture could lead to a grand scale of polygons, this task will also give me the answer whether I should construct this as a high polygon model, or a low polygon model. These both need to be answered in order to define my proposal and so I wish to attempt this task.

Links

 

Informed blog about house construction in China:

http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/3intrhme.htm

 

Dougong Brackets:

http://www.chinainfoonline.com/Chinese_Architecture/Dougong_Brackets.htm

 

Dougong bracket description and explaination. Also has a informative youtube channel about various Chinese construction methods:

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

 

Great hardback book on Chinese architecture, written by a western writer but consultation by six ancient Chinese architectural specialists:

Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman (2002). Chinese Architecture ISBN 0-300-09559-7





Employment possibilites in reference to my dissertation

A core element in my dissertation proposal is to hunt for relevant employment possibilities. These job opportunities can help me decide and refine my proposal for my final dissertation. Furthermore the requirements and desirable skills from employer can aid myself within my research for the dissertation. The specific role that I have a desire to work as after my further education is to become a 3D game artist, because of this I have tried to focus on that specific skill set. Below are several job descriptions that suit some major aspects of what my dissertation proposal will contain.
 
Position 1 Tinderstone studios:
 
Position: Junior 3D Artist
Career level: Entry level

Education level: Professional qualification/accreditation

 
Tinderstone are looking to recruit a Junior 3D Artist to work on a variety of game projects and
applications primarily for modern smart devices.

Demonstrable ability in creating high quality 3D assets and textures in a variety of styles is required
as well as the ability to work to specifications set by the Art Director. Creative flare and attention to
detail are also beneficial.

• Proficient in 3DS Max
• Good skills in Photoshop
• Strong texturing and unwrapping skills
• Knowledge of CrazyBump, Xnormal and an understanding of normal mapping techniques.
• Ability to concept sketch and illustrate your ideas to the team.
• Effective communicator and team player
• A passion for creating the highest quality game artwork!

Position 2 G3D Limited:
 
Position: Junior/Graduate 3d Artists
Career level: Entry level
Educational level:Some college coursework completed
 
We are currently looking for an extremely talented Junior/Graduate Asset and/or Environment Artists to work on one of the biggest AAA Action/Adventure Xbox One/PS4 titles for 2014. This really is once in a lifetime opportunity to work for one of the most creative and successful independent game developers in the industry.
 
Strong Portfolio with examples of: 

• Low and High-resolution modelling in 3DS Max (preferred)
• High quality texture creation
• Normal mapped game assets
• Photoshop at good level
• Preferably Z-brush / Mudbox experience

The candidate will ideally have the following qualities:

• Strong communication skills.
• Unreal Engine experience.
• Good eye for details.
• Able to work as part of a team.
• Be a keen gamer

Position 3 Full Fat Studios:

 

Position: Experienced 3D Artist
Career level: Experienced in game production
Educational level: N/A
 

• Work to a high quality level.
• Work with the Art Lead and Designer to maintain artistic style.
• Create efficient in-game models and environments.
• Be accountable for deadlines.
• Experienced in game production.
• Have a wide breadth of experience over multiple platforms.
• 3DS Max experience preferred.
• Low and high poly modelling and texturing skills.
• Strong knowledge of architecture, materials and lighting.
• Solid grasp of colour theory.
• Ability to rapidly master development tools and pipelines.
• Excellent communication skills and a good team player.

 

The first two employment opportunities show an extremely similar skill set for the jobs role. However the last job I found for an Experienced 3D artist required vague and generalised criteria. This led me believe that as a an experienced employee in the games industry, an employer is more interested in the person as a whole, instead of specific skill set. This also leads me to want to attune my knowledge on specific skills sets such as 3DS Max and Quality textures for models. Furthermore, the first two job opportunities are far more likely for me accomplish, so I need to focus more on their requirements.

 

Links

 





1st Job:
https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/GetJob.aspx?JobID=3924663

 

2nd Job:

http://jobview.monster.co.uk/AAA-UK-Console-Studio-Seeks-Junior-Graduate-3d-Artists-London-London-124840169.aspx?WT.mc_n=olm_sk_feed_jobisjob_uk

 

3rd Job:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/full-fat/uk-and-europe/experienced-3d-artist-id64654

 

 

 

Modularity - Games i've played with modular assets

Many game developers use modular assets within their games as a faster way to produce a consistent art style or to produce many designs quickly. I wish to show you some of the games that I have played myself which I feel that have used molecularity to great effect.

Modularity within games can give the game/level designer a huge advantage. They can put together a mock up level design quickly to test the basic functionality and flow of a level. Another interesting feature to modular building is that producing a game using modular assets can require less performance on the machine to draw those objects to the players screen. Performance and compatibility are important when making a game, a game designer wants to get the most out of a machine to make a visually appealing game. Many final products can go onto a variety of gaming systems which can vary in performance, because of this this, reducing the performance requirement is an important restraint to game design. Both speed and performance are both great advantages of modular assets, however there are also disadvantages to these techniques.

Creating or designing a level with limited modular assets can lead to visually unappealing design. The over use of similar assets can elaborate to the player that the building is made modular pieces, this sense of modularity to the player is something the designer needs to avoid. There are techniques a designer can do to avoid this feeling to the player and that is to also add a variety of unique assets to the scene or to the players library.

With those points established, here is some games I've played using modular assets.


Sims 3 Environment

The Sims 3

Sticking to the 'house' theme from a previous post I would like to talk to you about The Sims franchise. The Sims 3(2009, EA) is a life simulation game where a player can take control over a game character or many and live through their life, interacting with people and objects. Although the main feature of the game is to play as a character, a certain mechanic of this game does feature the use of modular assets. Throughout the game the player earns money through working with their 'sim' and can use this money to construct a house. The building mode within The Sims contains a variety of modular assets and also some assets which are not modular.

"If you are just making one room, then a non-modular room may be much faster to create than making separate pieces" Epic, (2011).

This quote from an Epic article sums up exactly why EA, the developers of The Sims used modular assets within their house building feature. The fact that players can or will create many houses consisting of many rooms through the game, modular construction assets make sense in this situation.




An example of modular assets within the building scructure


A restraint must be established before the creation of modular assets within a game. How modular do you go? For example do you create many models of the same table but vary the objects upon the table? Or just vary the table colour and texture? The article from Epic explains this.

"When making modular parts, a nice trick to help speed up the work flow process is to make subtle variations on designs, whether they are in the model or the texture" Epic, (2011).



Community made modular sofa for The Sims 2

Although this will increase the work flow process and produce many assets, these assets might lack in detail. To the right is a modded sofa a member of the community has made for The Sims 2 game. It shows modularity and small subtle changes to create a fantastic combined asset. I spotted some of these assets within the Sims 3 game. Some kitchen cupboards have slight variations such as corner pieces.

The player can create a house for their sim by using these variety of models from a 'shop'.




Dirt Showdown

The majority of racing games on the market use modular assets to create their levels. There are a few games that use less modular assets than others and those are the types of racing games that try to imitate or simulate real world racetracks. A franchise such as Forza Motorsport 4 where most of the tracks are real world, I see how this can be difficult to create a simulated racetrack using modular assets. This extract from a CNET article explain the processes that the Forza franchise developers (Turn 10) use to make a realistic racetrack for the game.

"It all starts with a visit to the track, in this case Hockenheim in Germany. Here, Turn 10's guys snap thousands of photos, record video of multiple laps from multiple angles, and collect sub-centimetre-accurate military-grade GPS data for the layout, elevation, and camber of the track. Next, the developers take the collected data and feed it to their team of modellers and artists, who bring the track to life. Actual pro race drivers are brought as the virtual track nears completion to vet accuracy and consult on the details so that, according to the Turn 10 team, it feels as real as it looks." - Antuan Goodwin, (2011).

This technique would of taken months to complete to get each track correct. I know however of another racing game that does not try to simulate real world tracks; Dirt Showdown (2012).

Different screen shot from a different track

Above is a set of screen shots from some Dirt Showdown environments, the majority of the racetracks are very similar to this images above. It displays the use of modular assets of a variety of different racetracks. This would of helped build and construct different racetracks quickly, using this method, unlike Turn 10's method with Forza. Although modular assets are used, each track has specific unique assets that are only used in that specific track. This keeps the aesthetics of the tracks consistent, but not identical. Modular assets are extremely useful and should be considered in more games production to increase work flow.

Links:

http://modthesims.info/d/416802

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/722992/dirt-showdowns-multiplayer-focuses-on-stunts-and-challenges/

http://blog.logitech.com/2012/03/29/logitech-g27-racing-wheels-create-realistic-experience-for-dirt-showdown-fans/

Precision and defining the proposal

I recently discussed with my lecturer about making a set of ancient Chinese buildings out of modular assets for my dissertation proposal. He agreed that this would be a good dissertation as it required a variety of  skills but will focus mainly on the modular aspect of the models. This then gives me the inspiration to then explore and research into modularity in buildings within games as well as real life.

The next step he said was to come up with exactly what I want to be constructing these models for. This would also give him the marking criteria needed to construct this dissertation. Are the models to be constructed for an in-game cinematic or the within the game engine itself? If so, which one? Do certain game engines have specific requirements or limitations? Set myself some generalised polygons limits to work with which would be suitable for the engine. What type of perspective will the player see these buildings? First person, third person, isometric and so on. All these will need to be considered and researched to help me define a challenging and rewarding dissertation.

To work out if this dissertation  proposal will be challenging enough, I was advised to have a go at modelling a Chinese building in modular assets to see whether it will be challenging enough for me. The complexity of ancient Chinese architecture is relatively high and so I feel that this proposal will be a challenge for myself. Which is exactly what I need for this dissertation. I have done 3D modelling before, however I'm not fluent and consistent in all the techniques in the industry. From this dissertation I hope to pick up some of these skills through my learning process

So over the next few days I will trying to construct a small untextured mock up to see if it will be possible to design and construct these buildings from modular assets over the whole year.

The next piece of research I will be looking through is an article on Workflow Techniques and Modularity by Lin, Lentz, Sturgill, Reed (DemiurgeStudios). This will be to prepare me for making the mock up models of the architecture.

Links

Workflow and Modularity - Epic
 http://udn.epicgames.com/Two/WorkflowAndModularity.html

Gone Home, and found some notes

I was advised by David Pimm to check out a storytelling game called Gone Home to give me some more inspiration for my project. Gone Home is an adventure mystery game where you arrive back to your families home after a year long vacation and have to solve the mystery of where everybody has gone too. I wont spoil the game for all you guys but the player tries to work their way through a mysterious narrative of a young teenage girl called Sam through the mid 90's.

I found this game extremely effective in the way the developers gives the player small pieces of narrative through the use of meaningful objects found around the house. I felt that this was a very well designed piece of interactive story telling that kept me wanting to watch. I was engrossed in the story from the start. I myself began to feel a connection to the character Sam even though you never get to see her. I never experienced the same situations she did through my teenage years but nonetheless I felt a connection.

The models used within the game were very well detailed and crystal clear textures. As the player can pick up, rotate and zoom on nearly every object in the house, this made high quality models a necessity for this game. I feel the objects in each room were very well designed and personal to the person who lived in that area.

Now this game example shows how great design and well thought out model placement can create an illusion of a well used house. A feature I enjoyed about this game is that the narrative is told through the interactivity of the models around the house. This forces the player to unconsciously interact with nearly all models in case they are to do with the narrative.

Gone Home demonstrates that thoughtful design and selective storytelling used correctly, can produce a game that can invoke feelings and also give a the player an illusion of not just a house, but a home.

The video I watched was a play through of the game and was over an hour long. If you'd like to watch or see what the game is about. Click the link below.

Links

GONE HOME Gameplay Walkthrough & Ending
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak4wU8Gp2RQ

Ancient Achitecture

Finding out about ancient architecture was a enlightening experience. The most generalised book about historical architecture I could find was called 'The World Atlas of Architecture' by Mitchell Beazley. Within the book I found a variety of building illustrations demonstrating the changes and different types of architecture throughout time.

From the chapter sizes of this book, the two civilisations that stood out most was Roman and Greek. Both sections of the book are very in depth as I know they had made the most progress in construction though history. We see all different types of architecture in everyday buildings to date, an extract from the book explains: "Roman architecture is all around us: the centres of old towns, baths, ampitheatres, temples, city walls and triumphal arches, together with Roman bridges and aqueducts, often still in use from an integral part of Western scenery" This shows just how successful the Roman empire was, and how advanced they were with their building and architectural techniques. A reason why a lot of Western civilisation still see Roman structures within our own modern day life is also because of how much land was conquered by the Roman Empire in the 2nd century AD. Below is a map of this from the book.

Although Roman and Greek architecture is impressive for their vast advancements in building techniques, I found myself more interested in Oriental ancient buildings. Chinese, Japanese and Korean architecture captured my imagination a great amount more than the Western designs. One distinct feature that all three cultures have within their buildings is that they use wood as their main material. Although some wood is used within Western construction, it is not their main construction material. Many Western cultures used wood to help them construct their designs, such as with scaffolding and pulleys to lift their main construction material such limestone and rock. Wood within the oriental architecture appears to be abnormal in colour and also carved by hand. The colours of these wood structures varies from brown, red and black. Although many colours are used, the majority of the wood is coloured red, this is especially true in the Chinese culture.

Below are pictures of each individual oriental culture and their corresponding architecture. These were taken from the same book.

                Chinese                                          Korean                                        Japanese

From these inspirational designs I decided to produce a proposal brief based around oriental architecture. My personal main goal in my dissertation is to focus mainly on design as this is the job field I plan to go into after education. I was considering to design and model a oriental styled house that would allow the player to customise the internal and externals of the house to match their personal tastes. I would want to design a certain number of objects such at lanterns, curtains,  roof colours/styles and gardens. From this I would create a model in unity that has a drop down UI that allows players to select a predetermined area and choose an object from a drop down box.


I feel that many games in the industry use houses within their games but don't let the player actually make it their home. A home is a place where you feel like you 'belong' and feel comfortable. When a game such as Grand Theft Auto just starts you off in a home and expects the player to feel at home it breaks this illusion immediately and I feel that it just feels artificial. This is something I feel strongly about within games and hopefully can research further into.

Links

 

World Atlas of Architecture: In depth book on architecture through cultures and time.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Atlas-Architecture-Julius-Norwich/dp/0517668750

China: The three emperors: Hardback book containg images and references to shape of chinese buildings
http://www.amazon.co.uk/China-Emperors-1662-1795-Evelyn-Rawski/dp/1903973694/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381571803&sr=1-1&keywords=china+the+three+emperors

The bumpy and winding road to a dissertation proposal

This proposal is tough, thinking of a subject and an artifact I want to research and eventually produce is getting more complex by the minute, but I'm going to document my processes anyway.

One of my first PC games I had ever played was a spectacular experience, I had never seen such detail put into a game before and I admired it for years. I still do with great enthusiasm, although not much can be said about its sequels. I am talking about a game called Empire Earth. A real-time strategy game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and published in November 2001.

This game took you into the stone age and placed you down on the ground as a new civilisation. Using your citizens you must gather resources and discover new bounty's of treasure to expand your empire and fend off your foes, who are also competing for the best empire. As you pass through the ages, your civilians and buildings change and grow as you discover new building materials and techniques. This was the game dynamic I found really rewarding, as I was progressing I could feel

the sense of achievement and it was that feeling that made me want to play the game.

 

Above are two sets of buildings that are progress over the Prehistoric age, Stone age and then finally the Copper age. Inspired by this dynamic feature, I wanted to design and model my own set of structures that have the ability to show progression as they went through ages if they were put into a RTS game. These would be similar to how the buildings progressed in Empire Earth, with the building materials, architectural changes and building techniques changing as time went by.

From this idea I have to take into account the following research:

• Architectural structures of many types of civilisations at first
• Building materials and the changes in them over history
• Current computer games that also have this progression feature on buildings/structures
• Emotional feelings this progression gives to the player
• Whether to design realistic or cartoon style buildings

I needed to focus on a major question that would lead me to being more precise with other research at first. This was the thought of whether to design cartoon style or realistically.

Cartoon style -

I have seen both cartoony and realistic buildings in RTS games before. Sid Meier's used cartoony structures in one of his most recent games: Cilivilzation revolution. One of the most successful console strategy games to date, receiving great reviews for "its game play and visual design" - Gamespot magazine. The use of these graphics in game brought humour to the game and it also made the games dynamics feel less serious. The result is an almost casual game feeling, an aesthetic that could bring new gamers to the Civilization franchise.


 The picture above is of a Roman town centre from Civilization: Revolution, the huge scale of the model compared the terrain is almost comical. Note the size of a fishing vessel in the bottom left, it's bigger than the towns walls.


Realistic -

From this I move onto realistic building design. Age of Empires III, developed by Ensemble studios and released in 2005 focuses on this realistic aesthetic. Although this game doesn't use the progression mechanic like in Empire Earth, it does however show well designed realistic aesthetics on the architectural structures of early American colonisation.

 

These pictures are from Age of Empires III, the buildings are a town centre and a house. Although more detail is in both models than Empire Earth, it is also a game that was publish 4 years later. If I was to design my buildings using realistic methods, deep research into architecture and materials will be needed. This is a factor I should now focus on, before I advance my project and is what I plan to do next.

My next task will be to research architecture of the older civilisations to gather more visually compelling pieces to help me further my research.

Links

 



Info about the Age of Empire series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Empires_III

Buildings within the Empire Earth game
http://ee.heavengames.com/new/eeh/gameinfo/buildings/index.shtml

Small blog post about house customisation within computer games
http://uk.ign.com/blogs/ryanbob0357/2013/04/14/house-customization-in-games-is-great-and-should-be-used-more