Project Update Part 1: R+R
Project Update 15/05/2020
Part 1: Recap and Research
This will be a long overdue 4 part update to the progress on my project. During this update series, I will begin to breakdown my research additions, such as my conversations with artists such as Richard Lico and Peter Dimitrov, they're feedback and how it has affected my design practises and the choices I have made. Additionally, I will go through a breakdown of my project, offering the first full look at all the mechanics I intend to implement, as well as the first look at a preview video from which the overall idea of my experience can be seen. Throughout this video, you will be introduced to all of the mechanics I have implemented so far and what is in the pipeline. In order to offer my research perspective, I will break down how the mechanics I have chosen to include have come from outside influences, as well as the benefit I hope to get from each mechanic.
To begin, I will first recap the main objectives of my brief. This year, I have been working on a project which will allow me to progress as a developer for game mechanics and also advance my ability to work with character progression and attachment. To do this, I intend to make a playable experience, in which the character is placed in control of 3 characters. Although the player may change their name and appearance, and although each character may be generated with different places of birth, there will always be 3 types of character: A strong brute, A weak genius and a charismatic idiot. This will challenge the player to work to their characters strengths, crafting new weapons with the genius, completing combat missions with the brute and trading with the idiot. Mechanics involved include, Character group chats, customisation, perma-death and more (Which I'll get to shortly).
Personal Influences and theories:
As part of my research, I have looked into games which have become inspirations to me,as well as characters and titles which use similar themes.
 |
| Fig 1. Netflix's Stranger Things Season 3 Poster |
Another massive inspiration to me has been the Bethesda games series, 'Fallout' and 'The Elder Scrolls'. I grew up with these games and continue to have fond memories. The development of a surrounding lore is so detailed that the world feels instantly occupied. The development of legendary stories and the experiences the player shares with their character mean that characters such as the Dovahkiin will be forever remembered. The use of customisation in these games is a particular influence on my work, with the incredible combination of character appearances making replaying rewarding and fresh.
Additional influence came from strategy games such as the XCOM series, as well as role playing experiences such as Dungeons and Dragons. The fluidity of these stories is something which I am really passionate about and in the progression of my project, I am hoping to offer an experience that can change dynamically depending on certain situations and still feel immersive and enjoyable. On top of this, the squad dynamic displayed in the XCOM series has become a particular influence for me, developing my perception of character attachment and allowing me to see the potential of a squad dynamic in my project.
Throughout the course of the year, I have also come across theories in Character Attachment which have really widened my understanding of the subject. The most impactful of these was the 'Mere Exposure Effect', which offered up two explanations for the development of a relationship between an audience and a character. This effect is defined as being either, the positive response to a character based on previous exposure, or the neutral response to a character with post experience. This theory suggests that it could be possible for characters to become more attachable based only on the audiences exposure to them. However, there are conflicting examples where prior experience made audiences increasingly neutral. Additionally, the theory was put into practise using names only, meaning an exploration of its process in the context I need would be much more complicated. Nevertheless, the 'MEE' is a good example of evidence that my game should have a good length of time behind it, in order to allow the player to get used to their characters.
Peer Research
 |
| Fig 2. Avengers: Endgame became the highest grossing film in history in 2019. |
As an additional step in my research, I asked several of my peers about experiences they have had in popular culture, in which they have had an emotional connection or reaction to a character. Among the responses to this were the developments of characters in games such as The Witcher and Red Dead Redemption 2, as well as films such as 1917 and Avengers: End Game. A recurring theme to these responses was the length of time the audience had with the characters involved. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the immersion of the game and weight of its choices makes the more emotional moments much more heavy, leading to bigger responses. In Avengers: End Game (Spoilers ahead), the death of Tony Stark saddened fans across the world, and the character who had began an entire universe was mourned as a real person. This is testament to the length of time audiences have had to develop a bond with this character. Appearing in 3 solo-outings, 5 group blockbusters and having minor roles in several other films allowed the character of Tony Stark to become lifelike.
Practitioner Interviews
As part of my research, I have been talking to established active practitioners in the Games Design community, in order to gain knowledge and feedback about Industry principles, requirements in portfolios and gain a greater understanding of artists methods for character related mechanics.
The first artist I spoke to was Peter Dimitrov. Peter is a fellow alumni of UCLAN's Undergraduate Games Design course, and having lived with him during my first year in Preston, I have kept a good relationship with him. Before and during Peters undergraduate degree, he did freelance work as a character artist, creating Lovecraftian character pieces. After his degree, he joined Milky Tea Studios as an Environment artist.
During my conversation with Peter, I asked him about his experience creating characters, as well as any potential feedback he could give me regarding story development and the creation of a unique character. Peter was a massive help with these questions, offering insight into his practises when creating characters, as well as the development of a good story and the execution of a memorable character. Peter explained that his characters are always made with the world around them in mind. They're role in the world and its believability are key to the players immersion when interacting with them. Additionally, Peter explains that by using weakness and human emotion, a bond can be created between player and character. He uses the example of A Plague Tale: Innocence's story, with a main character who is at first innocent, but is slowly developed to be a stronger individual. Her role in the story is central and her place in the world is believable, making it possible to quickly become connected.
Next, I spoke to Richard Lico. Richard is an Annie nominated and
D.I.C.E nominated Director, Animator and Game Developer who has over two
decades of experience in animation leadership roles on some of the industries
most loved IP’s. These include Bungie game changers Halo Reach, Destiny and Destiny 2, as well as the smaller but incredibly impactful adventure of Moss and its titular, sign language using mouse.
Richard is an incredibly experienced and talented artist and it was a pleasure to speak to him. I found that talking to him about my project was the best approach, as his vast experience of the industry could be directed towards my own examples, allowing me to gain insight into how Richard would develop the ideas, but also allowing me to gain a better understanding of everything Richard spoke about, using the example of my game as a reference. From this conversation, which lasted 45 minutes (and can be found here: https://msuclanac-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/mforshaw2_uclan_ac_uk/Em4eLvgV5qdDlHk2NE4HH_gBbOTse-q2R8fzZZk9dDpp7A?e=o3pCDw) I gained some invaluable insight into the workings of one of the industries most respected designers.
Richard had a strong impression of my game through the chat we had and believed that the steps I was taking in the development of my projects story were good. He believed I now had several options that would really take advantage of the opportunity I have. These included ensuring that characters felt and moved differently, handled weapons differently and were visibly more efficient at what they were supposed to be. Furthermore, Richard expresses that character’s with weaknesses are more compelling, as they feel more human. Not only this, but their weakness should be built into the mechanics of the game, in order to give weight to their inabilities, as well as their abilities. Richard suggests that as the game will be judged first and foremost on the gameplay, most of the development should go into ensuring that the characters are accurately represented in their gameplay. Richard quotes his work on Destiny, in which he admits he would go back and change that title’s solution to character design and animation, in order to better represent their unique identities.
Finally, I spoke to Luke Briggs, a fellow alumni of UCLAN's undergraduate Games Design course and fellow Masters student. Luke plans on going into game play design and is currently focusing on AI development. Luke was able to give me valuable insight into his experience with character development, advising me that play-testing must be done with others in order to find and sort issues that I may not experience as the person who made it. Additionally, Luke agrees with Richard that the use of weaknesses in characters greatly increases their relatability, as they become more human and we have something to emphasise with them about.
Comments
Post a Comment