Interaction Design

‘Shaping our everyday life through digital artefacts for work for play and for entertainment’

  This is a quote from Gullian Crampton Smith the author of Designing Interactions. The book talks about Bill Moggridge (founder of the first laptop computer) and his stories from an industry insider’s viewpoint, tracing the evolution of ideas from inspiration to outcome. Interviewees discuss why personal computers have windows desktop, what turns a game into a hobby and why Google is the search engine of choice. This book proves and explains how the needs and desires of people can inspire innovative designs.

 See more at http://www.designinginteractions.com/interviews/GillianCramptonSmith

 

I also found Gullian Crampton Smith introduced the 5 dimensions of Interaction Design in the introduction of her book.

 

·         1D – Words – words are the interaction that users use to interact with.

·         2D – Visual Representation – things that the user will interact with on the interface in the following video Alan Blackwell gives a brief introduction on Visual Representation and how it links with the modern technology we use today.

·         3D – Objects or Space – the space in which the user interacts is the third dimension of interaction design. It defines the space or objects.

·         4D – Time – the time with which the user interacts with the interface.

·         5D – This defines the user’s actions or reactions to the interface and how they respond to it.

 
  These 5 points made me think about how specific consoles are designed with the user in mind, the visual interface and where or when will the advancement stop? A good example to show the technological and design advancements would be pc/console controllers. For example the Nintendo NES controller released in 1986 is similar looking to a brick sliced in half with four buttons in comparison to the curvy X-Box 360 controller released in 2005 supporting 15 buttons!

  The overall concept and purpose of the controllers is the same, they want the user to interact as much as possible with the game however improvements in technology has allowed this interaction to become easier for example over 20 years consoles have become a household item, they’re affordable, visual content has become more realistic and a bigger variety of games are available along with free downloads.

  This interesting review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xqPbDPiqzE
from Classic Game Room talks about both consoles and their advantages but doesn’t really cover the disadvantages. Personally I think they are both great consoles in their own era. Just the fact the Nintendo NES still works perfectly 20 years from its release proves it was a solid and successful build but can the same be said about the x-box?

Recent forums on Yahoo show that the common ‘Ring of Death’ otherwise known as the red ring surrounding the ON button says otherwise, leaving many customers with an unfixable console.

 See this at http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100316204717AAokxlc

 

  I have yet to face a problem with my X-box 360 and see the hardware as a successful entertainment system however I was surprised at how good the graphics had improved in comparison to my previous PS3. I’m sure I will once again be shocked at how the future console will compare to my present one.

Sound for Games

 Video game music refers to the soundtrack or background music in games. This type of sound has adopted the same complexity associated with TV and film soundtracks. Video game music has grown a lot in recent years and now even includes full orchestra pieces for example London Philharmonic Orchestra did pieces for Halo and Battlefield. Another well-known Italian composer named Michael Giacchino composed music for both Film and Video games such as The Incredibles, Cloverfield, UP, Medal of Honour and Call of Duty.

 

 Video games generate sound or alter their soundtrack in accordance with what the player’s current action or situation is for example an intense action scene would incorporate loud up-beat and dramatic sounds, compared to a stealthy creeping scene would use low tones with a small rpm. This technique hasn't changed entirely in the past 15 years but the music and soundtracks used definitely have. Originally limited to simple melodies and synthesiser technology the industry now use licensed musicians and orchestras.

 Some of the key composers currently working in games include Christopher Lennertz. Much like Michael Giacchino he started composing for films such as Meet the Spartans, Dr. Dolittle, Horrible Bosses and decided to compose for games as well. He successfully won several awards for his soundtrack on Medal of Honour series and also worked on Mass Effect 2&3, The Godfather 2 and Quantum on Solace. A very influential German composer and music producer named Hans Zimmer, famous for his pieces in The Lion King, Inception, and The Dark Knight has also recently been working on video games like Call of Duty and collaborated with Borislav Slavov to create the score for Crysis 2.

 

 One of my personal favourite soundtracks belongs to Devil May Cry 3. The hash and slash beat’em up game has provided me with hours of entertainment with an amazing soundtrack produced by Tetsuya Shibata. He worked on the whole DMC series but number 3 is unforgettable because he decided to change electronic music with vocal sounds which meant various battle and ending scenes became more memorable and recognisable. He talk about his scores on DMC 3 and new innovations for DMC 4 in this interview : http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/tetsuyashibata.shtml
My favourite song would have to be ‘Out of Darkness’ sung by one of the main characters the power and vocals of the song fit so well into the core of the game and its story.

  The Chic, regarded themselves as a rock band for this disco movement, formed in 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and Bassist Benard Edwards. They were successfully known for their commercial disco songs such as Everybody Dance, Le Freak and Good Times. In 1979 the group released the album Risqué and the lead track ‘Good times’ in which I agree with publications such as the Guardian upon this being one of the most influential songs of that era. The song was sampled many times including being the basis for ‘Rappers Delight’ by The Sugarhill Gang, this helped initiate the Hip Hop music format we know today. I think the band revolutionised the late seventies disco music and without this there would be no Destiny’s Child.

Game Engine

 I am going to discuss what are the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular and current game engines used? I’m very keen to start using UDK (Unreal Development Kit) for the first time as I can finally see my assets in a playable level.

What is a game engine?

This is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. The purpose of a game engine is to provide a suit of visual development tools essential for progressing in completion of a level with such things as sound, scripting, animation and 3d graphics for example.

The most popular game engines currently used are UDK, developing games such as

·         Borderlands

·         Devil May cry

·         Bioshock

And Cryengine, which have been successful in releasing

·         Crysis

·         DRIVE

·         Enemy Front

Unfortunately I have not had a chance to use Cryengine, so from doing research from users I have found the following pros and cons..

Game Engines	Pros	Cons
UDK	Similar interface to 3ds Max Widely used for easy access Variety of rendering Physics engine Great interior detail	Limited lighting effects Exteriors seem to be less effective Outdoor scenes lack detail
Cryengine	Free to use Cheaper licence if making a game Fastest high end render Sandbox gives full control of creations Edit everything in time	Relies on custom export tools in 3ds and Maya   No custom shaders in material editor

 

UDK – Developed by Epic Games in 1998 this is the most used game engine in the current industry. Although primarily developed for first person shooters it has been successful in a variety of game genres including stealth and RPG’s.  UE3 (Unreal Engine 3) has also seen adoption from other non-

gaming projects for example the popular children’s TV show ‘Lazy Town’.  Personally I think UDK is user friendly with a comfortable interface to navigate around, moving assests is very simple as is assigning textures. I give a positive opinion but I must take into consideration I haven’t used any competing software, once I have successfully used both programs I can then review them again.

 

Cryengine – A game engine designed by Crytek in 2006, there is now Cryengine 1,2 and 3 successfully developing Far Cry and Crisis. Not as widely used as UDK but the rendering scenes I have seen from playing such games as Crysis seem super realistic in comparison. The Sandbox (level editor) has emphasis on large terrains which means that it uses an algorithmic form of painting textures and objects onto the landscape.

I will be using UDK a lot more this year essentially with the group projects so I will have a better understanding of the software however I definitely refuse to rule out even trying to use Cryengine. From the footage I have seen, especially within environments I must at least try developing something of my own using it. Once I have tried both I will make a personal decision on what engine I think would suit me best.

Documentation

Slums Environment

I aim to produce a realistic slums environment level set in Kenya on a PS3 platform.

 

 

Personal Aim – To become an environment artist and demonstrate my capability of designing weapons.

Objective – Design and create a successful playable FPS level and further my technical knowledge within the game engine (UDK).

Genre – FPS, SHMUP.

Audience – 15+

Software – I will use 3ds Max and UDK as the game engine.

Technical Specifications for:

·         Lead Character

Poly Budget – 7000 Tri’s demonstrating clean and solid topology.

Textures – 1xDiffuse, 1xNormal and 1xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024

Style – Mercenary with armour

·         An NPC

Poly Budget – 4000 Tri’s

Textures – 1xDiffuse, 1xNormal and 1xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024

Style – Kenyan rebel

·         A Vehicle

Poly Budget – 3000 Tri’s  

Textures – 1xDiffuse, 1xNormal and 1xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024

One abandoned vehicle used for parts and on bricks

·         The Environment

Poly Budget – 20,000 Tri’s

Textures – 10xDiffuse, 10xNormal and 10xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024 on each

I will use a mixture of unique texturing and tillable texturing for the slums as well as reference images.

·         Weapons

Poly Budget – 2,500 Tri’s per weapon (14 weapons) 

Textures – 1xDiffuse, 1xNormal and 1xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024

Realistic weapons will be hidden in one shack ready for the lead character to collect for example this Scar-L assault rifle.

Level Design

  I don’t know much about level design to be honest so I have been looking through a few websites gathering some information from tutorials and articles. It’s quite clear how much planning and preparation is put into the design before it started. I will go through a process I think is a general guideline I think everyone seems to stick to when creating an environment. The majority of artists I have looked at have planned and executed a whole map in just 3weeks. I’m guessing this must be industry standard but I think time management is vital when doing so.

 This is the basic work flow I have come across with most artists but i have been looking at one in particular named Alex A.Galuzin

Ideas – Initial vision of the level, what it consists of. This will mainly be images of things that trigger your imagination, put them all down on a mood board and write a list of the things you want to include, don’t set a technical limit yet. Get some cool ideas to work from for inspiration then you can move on.

Reference – Collect reference images, get a feel for the atmosphere you want to create, this gives you a better image in your head of what you want to achieve in the end.

Visualization – this puts you into the mindset, it’s very important to see your final product before it is done. If this doesn’t happen you will be doing it by trial and error which will equal bad planning and a lot of frustration.

 

 

Planning and Execution – Sketch out a few visually pleasing guidelines of what you think the map will look like for example a top down view of how it will play out and where you would want the player to explore. After this you can jump in to the editor and starts blocking in big shapes in your map, no details just get the basics down roughly.

 

 

Atmosphere - Set the scene outside the environment to create the feel you wanted. Add the sky and terrain to see how the space will look, again not much detail the basic lights.

Playable Map – Test the map, run around in it, see if you like how the map is planned out. Having no details on the map at this stage will help you really concentrate on the layout itself.

Textures – Start blocking in your textures and getting rid of the checked patterns!

Adding Objects – Any objects you wanted to include can now be modelled and textured it’s like a phase one of putting in the detail. Still at this stage add the big details then go to the small and don’t just concentrate one area of the map.

Adding Objects Phase 2 – Strat detailing specific details of the map, polish up individual areas.

Lights – Add the light you think will create the best atmosphere you want to achieve

Gameplay – As well as you ask other to play the map, they will probably find flaws that you won’t!

 

  Following these artists has given me such a better idea of what level design is all about and how to develop my own ideas. I will do more research like this when it comes to group projects!!

Visual Composition

 I think it is vital for anyone trying to develop their skills in art to understand exactly what meaning of visual composition is. The term composition means ‘putting together’ this is basically elements put together by conscious thought, it can also be thought of as the organisation of the elements of art according to the principles of art. Understanding this principle and being able to develop it in my work is a professional skill I need to acquire. When looking at successful piece of work you can see how and why that person has placed the elements in a particular order, for either realism or for the image to have impact and make the audience feel a certain way. For example if a  photograph was taken at a man’s level this would treat him as an equal, if one was taken from below it could result in an impression of dominance.

 

 I have recently tried to incorporate good composition into my 3d work, I haven’t had much feedback from the design yet but I’m hoping the way I have laid out specific objects creates and impression of realism, which was the brief to create a realistic grouping of trash as seen outside on the streets. Admitting the background of my final render needed a bit of tweaking as the colours didn’t really fit well within the scene and the lighting I used didn’t compliment the brick wall. I spent quite a while arranging the different objects and making duplicates of assets to make it more interesting, I think it’s easier to apply good composition to something you can already move around, this is why so much planning and concepting is important before attempting to start a final piece.

 

 A few principles of organisation which can affect the composition are shape and proportion, negative space, colour, contrast, geometry, lines, lighting, repetition and perspective. This is important to remember when developing any work, another technique visual artists use is the Rule of Thirds.

 The rule of thirds is a guideline followed by some visual artists. The objective is to stop the subject(s) and areas of interest (such as the horizon) from bisecting the image, by placing them near one of the lines that would divide the image into three equal columns and rows, ideally near the intersection of those lines.

 I struggle to understand and put this into practise myself with my images but I am going to start using these guidelines and see if my work improves, if so my work should be aesthetically pleasing which means the elements must be arranged in a composition ally balanced way. Overall practising these techniques can only improve my work and then eventually I can develop the understanding of where specific elements within UDK should be placed. The sooner I learn this the better, better knowledge of this will help create decent level design and help me with our group project in the future.

 

Planning & Concepting

 This blog is still about elements of game design but I will be talking about the planning and concepting that goes into producing a successful product. The games industry relies heavily on the good solid initial planning, similar to writing a brief before you start modelling on 3ds and basically any design work in general. All artists require a base to work from, ideas need to be visually explored before they are processed and developed. I remember watching the ‘Black Hawk Down in the making’ documentary and thinking how amazing it was that this whole idea and art direction had come from small thumb nail concept art, a lot like a comic book. I found this interesting because it’s easy to assume that films/games are made from just random activities churned together in a sequence to look visually pleasing.

 Concept artists will be given an idea or a brief on the project, the artists will then take this idea and sketch from ten to a hundred thumbnails exploring the possibilities and designs. Then out of all these only a handful will be picked for further development. If this process is not carried out the likelihood of the project being a success is already at a low.

 I have recently taken a great interest in the game soon to be released called ‘the last of us’ unfortunately only on the ps3 platform and i believe to be inspired by the film 'I am Legend'. Visually the game looks stunning with such high intensity detail and game play, very similar to ‘Uncharted’ made by naughty dog. I have found that the artists James Paick from the USA actually contributed towards both of these games, designing brilliant concepts for both environments, below are a few concepts he put together for the last of us.

 

  I know these pictures don’t show the development of the concepts and only the final product, but they just so brilliant and detailed you could actually spend a long time looking at them. You can automatically tell how much work has gone into one of these images, the colour and atmosphere creates such an great image for the audience, and let’s be honest if you can accomplish this people will want to play your game. Concepts art like this makes the games so appealing for example Uncharted was so popular because the environments were so realistic and stunning due to the planning that gamers were quite happy just to walk around the level. I believe the to bring this kind detail into the game the 3d modellers have to work very closely with the 2d team trying to being the concept to life. The concept provided is never an absolute but its more than a guideline, obviously there are technical challenges to overcome so you have to allow change with assets etc. I hope to achieve this level of organisation and one day develop something as stunning as this.