Further development

Silhouettes

Today, using the moodboards i made, i started thinking ideas for the shape and build of the twins and the shape language and proportional relationship between them. they had to be distinct and unique from the other but also have similar features so they have a clear relationship to each other.
It was really difficult but i think i have a direction to go in. i think having similar leg build will be a nice commonality to go from and is a good highlight for both of their athleticism and agility, without making them so masculine that they lose their femininity.

i referenced dante and virgil from devil may cry to see how they tackled this, however they actually look identical whereas i aim to show that even though the girls are supposed to be identical their backgrounds reflect the way they gerw up and developed [apart from some commonalitites to tie their relationship together]

more moodboards

Background Interior

Vehicle

Cypress armour

Cypress silhouettes

Cypress Moodboard

Redoing Moodboards

environments

Applying research

Today I had a go at channeling my research into some rough concepts, just to get some ideas down.
Environments are really difficult.

MoodBoard Thursday

To get the right attitude for Mara I looked at games and characters who presented themselves as confident/cocky, yet charming at the same time. I felt like Dante is a great example of this and i think a female counterpart with a similar personality to his would be very likable and entertaining. The girl with the dragon tattoo is also great reference to physically present her edgy look which is also very magnetizing to look at. Jack from mass effect echoes the edgy appearance I am targeting for this character and even her costume is a great reference. The pose and attitudes of the lineup the top all reflect in a certain way the personality of being badass and independent. I like punk color scheme of pinks and blues combines with black and white, to reflect Mara's mischevious and chaotic nature while also highlighting her edgy theme.  

The design for Cypress i think would be heavily influenced by x-23 as they have extremely similar backstories. However i think that what would make Cypress stand apart from this character trope is her snarky and pessimistic nature which i think could come across as both entertaining and interesting. Cypress would be confident like Mass Effects Miranda, while having an oblivious innocence from being sheltered from the outside world only knowing the inside of Synthesis Labs. Her attire would reflect the futuristic theme, and look ergonomic and uniform. Her design will have the commercial colors of  the Synthesis corporation, however her raven hair color will contrast this and highlight her gloomy personality quite strong.

ReWorking the Story

So i decided that my idea was too complicated and convoluted for this medium and would better suited for another situation. i think with the time and hypothetical resources my time would be better utilized centralizing my story to a main idea which means i had to think about aspects i could cut to make it less complicated and more clear in terms of communicating my ideas and themes.

To achieve this i trimmed down the main characters to focus on the twins which i thought was more interesting and centralized towards the main plot more clearly.

I had the idea that after separation, the one that was sent to Genesis developed her own way of incorporating the hybrid material to her being [through an experimental ink she used to tattoo herself], which gives her the ability to manipulate hybrid matter.
The other child that Synthesis kept would be experimented on and would have prosthetics that allow her to manipulate the hybrid matter as well.
In terms of gameplay i thought i could have the two switch and show different perspectives of the narrative. Having the two both obtain almost identical abilities will make it feel like they are still playing the same game, but they will also have their own unique abilities that will differentiate and reflect their different characteristics.

Thumbs

EPISODIC interactive Narrative

I had a thought about gameplay, and the affinity i have for teams and relationships between characters. I thought about moments in media that excited me and, as a character enthusiast, i found that when two important characters from different plot  lines meet each other for the first time i would get excited and intrigued as to how the encounter would develop.

To apply this to a game i thought that either a method like in "Heavy Rain" where the player is switched between several different avatars as the story progresses as plot lines [based around the main incident] occur simultaneously.
Another idea i had was to have the narrative play out episodically like "the walking dead" or "the wolf among us". a more recent example that i have fallen in love with is the game "life is strange" as it gives off the feel of an interactive HBO drama that hits close to home and immerses you deep in the relationships and story.

My idea was to have the game be episodic with the avatar switching each episode to highlight their plot in the overall narrative , then having them weave together in a sort of revelation episode where they encounter each other. I hope to achieve the same feeling where all the avengers finally meet each other in the movie. I plan to initially have the different personalities clash but later on realize they are only equal to the sum of all their parts together to defeat the overbearing antagonist. Whether or not the characters actually like one another is an idea i think has potential for interesting drama.
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TT: SyntheSystems [Synthe] Synthesis
- Concerned with the evolution and progression of the synthesis between technology and the natural constitution of the environment. Believe the evolution has unlimited potential to progress man.
[hidden agendas: using hybrid material to weaponize super soldiers]
TN: Genisystems [Geni] Genisis
- Concerned with preserving the original balance between man and nature, believe that the two should be separate entities. Believe that the spontaneous nature of the evolution is dangerous to man.

[hidden agendas: traditionalists, borderline cult like. believe in form and structure]

PLOT

Near Future; Technology has evolved to a point where it has taken organic properties from the environment and fused with the Geological constitution of the land constructing hybrid cyber-organic structures that grow and expand at irregular but manageable intervals.

The spontaneity of the worlds evolution has left man fighting with each other as one set of extremists believes that the study of the evolution can be harnessed for the potential technological advances the hybrid materials can allow. Whereas the opposing side believes the evolution to be a bad omen and that, the evolution goes against the forces of nature and the way the world was “meant” to be.

SYNOPSIS/pitch

The player is thrown into the turmoil between the two sides [Genesis and Synthesis] and play as each of the 4 protagonists. Each of whom have their own allegiance and their own personal conflicts amidst the big conflict between the two factions. The characters will grow with every battle and successful mission, learning about one another and in turn even more about themselves. The player will view the dispute from varying angles, exploring the origin of the characters and their world, uncovering the secrets below the surface conflict.   

This game will be a third person action game [hack and slash?] with rpg elements. All Episodes will include interactive dialogue segments, and some form of combat as well as sections where they explore the [level based] environment [apart from the hideout introduced at the end of episode 4].

Episode I: 

Heavily combat based, Test Subject is the result of experimentation with destructive intent. His chaotic abilities and the introduction to the world drives this episodes appeal.

Episode II: 

Heavily acrobatic and platforming based, with sections where the avatar is forced into combat. This characters superhuman stunts are what aim to drive this episodes appeal.

Episode III: 

Heavily stealth based. This character is vehicle and weapons specialist. This character is focused with saboteur tasks. Explosions and humor drive this episodes appeal.

Episode IV: 

Heavily story focused. Revelation based episode. Combat and platforming sections as this character is rebelling against their former allied force to uncover how the plotlines tie together through exploration. Hopefully at this point the player is hooked into the story, as the narrative and its revelations drive this episodes appeal.

Episode V: 

Heavily exploration and combat based, although all the characters specialties are highlighted to show them optimized [to suggest character growth]. The team makes their way through missions that tie loose ends before arriving to the climactic fight with giant Cyber-organism. Revelations and finality drive the appeal for this episode.

Episode I > test subject weaponized by Synthesis does a few missions border lining on the genocidal with teammate whom he gets close to. he gets left behind in a battle as his team is ambushed. he is taken prisoner by Genesis.
episode ends with the fate of test subject unresolved, although it appears he gets executed.

Episode II> Genesis captive escapes from Synthesis hq, uses tech to run around stealing secrets then makes it home. finds out father has been working with Synthesis. finds them self conflicted on whether to reveal his betrayal or keep their fathers secret. decides to sell out father but he throws them in a dungeon before they get the chance to tell anyone.
episode ends with Genesis captive in a cell looking over to a figure hinting at the test subject.

Episode III>Vehicle guy[device to show effects of worlds evolution through his backstory, he used to live happily but his family gets torn apart after choosing opposing sides soon after evolution begins] runs from both sides after they find out he sells to both of them. A pure anarchist, looking to screw over both sides. he does missions sabotaging Synthesis raids, and other saboteur missions against Genesis as well. Eventually he appears to get caught by Genesis but actually planned to get caught so he can pull off a prison break in Genesis hq.
episode ends with anarchist reaching the final cell releasing the captive and the test subject. Upon arriving to his arranged exit, the anarchist find himself in the cross hairs of Genesis and Synthesis forces.

Episode IV> twins find each other after being seperated at birth by the dispute.
test subject friend from synthesis, curious as to why they won't look for him, go exploring the headquarters for answers to find unexpected revelations;
Wife of Synth doctor has embryo injected with evolved matter, in attempt to alter the child to be "perfect/enhanced". The embryo splits into twins and a few weeks before their due date, the mother dies. the twins are extracted and put in an incubator where they are eventually birthed. When birthed however the room began to show psionic anomalies as devices grew unresponsive and gravity was nullified, but more importantly, hybrid material was stripped of its cybernetics. One of the babies was kept under Synthesis watch and raised as a soldier. The other was sent to a far orphanage, where the a leader of Genesis, knowing of her capabilities, adopted her. The Synthesis Doctors concluded that when the two where together their anomalies would occur unpredictably, and therefore should be separated. It is revealed that the test subjects friend and the Genesis captive are the twins that were separated.
Upon arriving at the revelation, friend runs from the headquarters inflicting damage wherever she can in her rage. She runs for what seem like hours an emotional wreck, realizing she had been living a lie and that she has a sister she might not ever meet [could be dead].
episode ends with friend running down part of the city where she halts after noticing a piece of hybrid material losing part of its cybernetics.

Episdoe V

 More Inspirational screens from the secret world

SNOWGOGGLES and KABUKI MASK

today i looked up more inspiration for stories, and gathered more reference images. with these i came up with some character designs that i thought i could form stories around. i tried to work backwards today to see if i could come up with new ideas.

IDEAS

I thought of another concept for a game idea.
the narrative is crossing over the themes of cupid and valentines day with halloween and possible spiritual and supernatural elements.
I thought of contrasting ideas forming something interesting and i resonate very strongly with cute and creepy. a fair comparison would be how nightmare before christmas crosses over halloween with christmas.

The setting would take place in the present day to highlight how communication between people has transformed and highlights the little interaction people have with each other even if they were to say something super important.
It is valentines day and a lonely teenage girl is at high school going about her day, even though she appears absent wherever she goes. plugged into her phone listening to music, shut off from the world.
Enter Val, a female cherub tasked with spreading love. her counterpart, valentine is the top dog in terms of matches made and over shadows her every year to the point where she doesn't care anymore.
Val gets by every year meeting the minimum quota but this year she has found a soul she resonates with so much that she forms an emotional attatchment to her and tries to match her with someone else, to no avail as her emotions have fallen too deep into darkness.
Val is forced to excavate her inner thoughts to find the route of this depression battling her childhood thoughts and demonic beings that the girls psyche has accomodated.
to free her happiness she gets aid from death, famine and other spiritual beings [who take the form of cherubs] to save this girl on valentines day.

I imagine the gameplay to appear cutesy but have severely dark themes. i imagine great potential in making this a 2d action platformer of sorts.

Influential Board

I found that stylistically my main influences range from dark, gritty and grungy themes to futuristic desolation's and oriental aesthetics. i grouped them accordingly and found that there was a relationship which culminated in a sort of fusion that i really like. The marriage of western ideas into an eastern medium is done often and in a charmingly interesting way most prominent in anime where they take western ideas and present it with an eastern spin. shows like Heroman where it is set in america and aliens attack, or beck where it presents how rock music is influenced heavily by the american scene. These i found to be very strong although altered representations and i feel that the relationship of translating western ideas for an eastern audience/or in an eastern medium can be flipped to do the reverse in an equally charmingly interesting.
whether it is skateboarding ninjas, or metal head samurai i think there is untapped potential that could actualize into some interesting narrative world.

i also sorted out a schedule with some milestones to manage my time appropriately.

I then went on to start on some of the paperwork.

Player(s): Is the game single or multiplayer? Single Player

 Genre: What genre is it (if it is a hybrid, or no genre is easily identifiable, what genres are influences?)

Action Adventure Rpg

 Background: Where does it take place? What story or backstory drives the experience? Who are the main characters of the story, or what is the main focus of the experience?

Story 01

WHERE: Near Future; Technology has evolved to a point where it has taken organic properties from the environment and fused with the Geological constitution of the land constructing hybrid cyber-organic structures that grow and expand at irregular but manageable intervals.

The spontaneity of the worlds evolution has left man fighting with each other as one side believes that the study of the evolution can be harnessed for the potential technological advances the hybrid materials can allow. Whereas the opposing side believes the evolution to be a bad omen and that, the evolution goes against the forces of nature and the way the world was “meant” to be.

As this moral debate takes place, a simultaneous famine takes over most of the world as the cyber-organics take place over many farming lands proving difficult to get rid of as crops and produce deplete as a result.

Avatar starts as a product of testing the fusion of the hybrid materials on human subjects, weaponized to battle the naturalists. Meets characters on his squad in battles who present their case for the side they fight for, then he gets left behind in a battle. The naturalists take him in and inform him of the bad things the tech do to people. Fights for naturalists for a while. Then upon exploring the headquarters he finds that the leader of the naturalists has hidden agenda. Avatar forced to pick who to fight for with smll team of allies from both factions who have defected.

Story 02

Young civilisation is constantly disputing with each other over land and lifestyles, thus not making the most of the gift of life. The gods then dispelled powerful creatures onto the world to punish man for their ignorance. amidst the slaughter, man realises that they cannot survive much longer if they do not come together to fight the common enemy. The 5 factions assemble together pulling resources together and fight the creatures to no avail they conclude they cannot kill something created from the heavens. In order to counter this the druids devise an apparatus to contain the beasts in once slain into submission. The greatest warriors from all factions then tyrade through the land capturing the creatures, losing some of their own along the way. Once a creature had been captured they are spread to a distant land to be watched over by an appointed guardian whose family would be tasked with defending the vessel from those looking to seek its power. Their family would train their younger generations to capable to defend the vessel from any situation.

Fast forward to the present day where the creatures are still secure in captivity, until a betrayal in which the power of a godsend has been unleashed. The guardian of one of the vessels finds a way to harness the great power of the beast and reign over the city. He seeks to harness the remaining vessels so he may be stronger and no other would be able to harness on of their own and attempt to overthrow him.

The player would assume the role of an avatar who was the descendant of guardian, but whose elder sister assumed the role, being the first born. The avatar's sister would be slain defending their family vessel from the tyrant. The player would then go on a mission of revenge to try and stop the tyrant and return the stolen creatures to captivity and restore balance.

I plan to come up with more stories that i could develop further.

INDIVIDUAL PROJECT

today we received the brief for the individual project in which we are tasked to design the pitch of a video concept. we will need to flesh out an idea for the narrative and provide production quality assets for the pitch as well as a trailer to promote it as a potential kickstarter.

today i gathered the things that i like visually and my video game influences on to mood boards. i then proceeded to make connections between them and find patterns of what they have in common.

Game influences

My game influences range but nearly all have some form of combat. i found that they also had ties to heroism in some form or another and nearly all the games also had anti-heroes in some way. There are several links to the modern day especially to urban cities. i also find that the games that have strong narrative in relation to their genre, are quite artistic in presentation. in terms of gameplay i found most of them to be quite linear apart from the odd open world experience. the idea of factions also turns up in some of my chosen games. there is not a lot of games where decision is prevalent to the narrative but it is still something i would be very interested in applying based on what we've gone over in bridging. there are some fantastical worlds in this selection but i would believe that dmc's mixture of fantasy and familiar urban settings would be my favourtite world to experience. the vast cast of tekken and marvel ultimate alliance intrigues me greatly as they offer many various ways to play. i like the grit of a lot of these games like urban reign, army of two and tomb raider, i think the realistic emotions add to down to earth/grounded kind of themes of personal developments and struggles as to narratives with enormous scale. having the ordinary do the extraordinary interests me greatly and i think has large potential for an interesting narrative [eg. mailman that can summon creatures from the dark] action adventure platformer with rpg elements like dialogue sections or interactive cut scenes, seems to be the direction i seem to be heading but it is subject to change. i believe this genre can cater to combat with exploration of an interesting world to aid in interesting storytelling..

mad rush to the finish

I tried to light the scene as best to my ability and get together the final pieces for the submissions, crdits and making of etc. it was a mad rush but it was nice to see the team come together and pull out all we could. it was a great ride.

Compositing

We're finalising the length of our shots, and putting them together. the team is rendering their shots for submission, and we're trying to get some lighting sorted. we also sorted what we needed to do like the making of and credits and such which all look doable, the final product is looking promising.

Smooth

Smoothing out scene 03 shot 02

The Last Monday