Final Evaluation Rogue Spy

My game is called Rogue Spy and it is about a spy who feels cheated by the system and uncovers the government’s dirty secrets while on his search for justice, his end goal is to gain piece and an understanding of the reason his life long friend Prash died. The brief was to produce a story for a new adventure video game aimed at males and females under 25. I feel Rogue Spy really suits the brief for many reasons, I will explain my thought process throughout the project from that to finish and explain how my video game successfully meets the brief.

When coming up with game ideas I took inspiration from many places including current games, films and my target market. James Bond was a major influence on my game as there is currently no game on the market based around spies however, I thought it would be more exciting to have a spy that goes off the rails but has a reason for his actions. When thinking of ideas it was important to understand the market I was making the game for so as preparation I carried out primary research, this included questionnaires, vox pops and interviews. This allowed me to find out essential features they love and hate about modern day gaming allowing me to tailor the game around them. Examples of my results show 9 out of 12 people prefer complex storylines over simple storylines, storyline was voted the most important feature that they look for in a game and again 9 out of 12 voted that they prefer realistic environment in built up cities and towns. These are just a few results from my questionnaire however all of my results had a massive influence on my project. Looking back on my research I feel I could have improved it by increasing the scale of it, I had 17 questionnaires returned to me. While the information was very useful and influence my final outcome I feel this could have been conducted on a larger scale so I could ensure this is how the majority of the target market feel rather than a small minority. Finally when in the creative process of coming up with ideas for the game I feel I could have improved by spending longer on the process and going though each idea thoroughly and coming up with some more options in order to keep all game opportunities open. I also could have improved this process by undertaking audience research after creating my character to find if my target audience found it appealing. 

There were many stages to the creation: firstly I planned my game so I roughly wrote out step by step the events that would happen during the game, this was in pencil so I could chop and change it how I would like in order to ensure its how I want it. After this I created sketches of how I would like the characters to look, by this stage I had already come up with their names and considering some foreshadow later events I wanted their appearance to suit their true personality weather the player knows it or not when in this stage I encountered a problem. I am not the best drawer therefore I looked online at other sketches and drawings in order in improve my own skills so my drawings looked good, while not being a major incident this did make the process longer . Following on from this I created character profiles, these are more in depth analyses of the characters allowing them to truly come to life with details about themselves. I could have improved this process by undertaking audience research after creating the characters to find out if they appealed to my target market. This was all of the planning stage, the next step was to write the story itself, I created a script for the opening sequence, and this included all the dialogue heard and directions of their actions. While creating this I struggled with the layout as I wanted it to look professional and understandable however, I found it very confusing where to place what text and seeing what words had to be upper case or lower case however with persistence and time I managed to overcome the confusion and create a successful script. Later I created 2 storyboards, these were enjoyable to create, as I am quite a visual and practical person however as I mentioned before I am not the best drawer. I created 24 shots per scene, for each shot I provided a hand drawn image alongside any dialogue heard and the actions taking place in that shot. I overcame the problem of drawing the same way I did when creating the character sketches, looking online at others and trying to incorporate features I like. This would be another good point to have conducted audience research.    

In my story I have used many techniques including plot twists; I have incorporated the first major plot twist in the opening sequence when the protagonists best friend is killed triggering the spiral of events that happens throughout the game. I feel this technique really appeals to my target market as this is an exciting feature that will increase excitement within the game. Another technique I used was foreshadowing, this is where subtle hints implying or giving the audience a clue of an even that will happen at a later date which the audience may not realise till after the event. I feel like my audience would appeal to my target market as it can give them a sense of wonder and let their brain get lost within the story thinking of possible outcomes which is great for active young minds such as my target audience. Finally another technique I used as a complication, while seeming small at first a complication has had a massive twist on my storyline. MI5 (the company who employed MK) has now turned on him so he must live off the grid meaning the player must then ensure within the game they are self sufficient making sure the player stays motivated and excited to play the game, another feature my target market would greatly enjoy. While having many successful features I feel there are a couple of points within my story in which I can make improve upon. I feel I could include more red herrings to make the player think more about the outcome as they play the game meaning the game will be on their mind out of the game meaning they will be eager to get back to the game ensuring they play it more. Another feature I would like to elaborate from is goals to achieve, I feel although the overall goad is very clear however, I think I could maybe include a planning board with smaller goals allowing the player to have a sense of accomplishment when they can tick multiple smaller targets off quite frequently allowing them to stay excited to play the game.  

After I had written my first script I game it to 5 fellow members of the school in order to gain others opinions. My first piece of feed back was as followed “Good unique concept. No other game like it on the market. Clear who the main character is but some of the centred text looks a bit confusing” I feel this is very positive feedback and only minor adjustments were needed to correct this issue making it a quick fix. My second piece of feedback was “looks good. Sounds like a directed version of GTA. Especially like character names. The game tutorial needs to be more detailed.” This is more focused feedback direct from my target market, to ensure I appeal to them I must correct this issue. I have since reviewed my game tutorial and added in grater detail in order to ensure it is successful and appeals to my target audience. Thirdly, “Like the look of the game sounds fun to play. Interaction with Atrox at the end sounds a little false” was another statement given when gaining others opinions, to correct this issue I must make the interaction between MK and Atrox more fluid and conversation like by possibly showing more of MK’s emotions to so the audience and visualise his sadness. Overall, from the 5 participants I gained that my game is unique and fun sounding, when talking to them in real life you could hear the excitement however, there are a few minor tweaks to make before finalising it. While this research was very useful to me the information I gained from it was limited as it took place on quite a small scale therefore to ensure I gain more accurate averages I will conduct the research on a bigger scale.

As a whole I feel that “Rogue Spy” has met the brief comfortably as I have ensured it is exciting and captivating by using techniques as explained above and also ensured it appeals to my target audience though through research/preparation beforehand and also some further research after. From beginning to end I have constantly had my target audience on my mind as they are how my game is targeted at and overall responsible for the success of the game so ensuring that they like the concept and ideas was essential, I have used a number of storytelling conventions. One more thing I would have preferred to do was connect more with my target audience when creating the character profiles and initial sketches as it is a very visual process so their input would have been useful within this section of the project however, overall I am very pleased with the game. 

Proof Read Evaluation

Animation Evaluation

The brief of the assignment is to create an anti-gravity animation. The scene will be as normal until for the first time in the game the gravity will all of a sudden turn off causing objects to suspend in the air and float around creating wonder for the audience. All the objects will be related and suit the theme of the game. I took inspiration from the films Total Recall, Inception and The Simpsons anti-gravity scenes as I found them particularly effective due to the small details which I have tried to reinterpret in my own way within my 3D animation, I particularly like how the chips rotae in the air in the simpsons clip.

As seen in my animation I have created: a space helmet, a pair of space boots, a Lego figurine, a coffee cup and a torch. I chose these items as I thought it was likely for them to be found in a space ship and therefore all related in some way. I initially sketched these to have a hard copy of how I would like them to look I found this very helpful as it ensured I got all my ideas down before I moved on to the next asset. Despite being useful when it came to the modelling stage in Maya I was not able to create some of the assets such as the camera as the shape was simply to complex therefore, masking it very time consuming to make. Due to the fact I have a deadline I made the other assets first however, I didn't have time to go back and finish it in the level of detail that I wanted it therefore, I didn't feature it in my animation. Through the planning process I feel it would have been easier to make mock models instead of sketches as it would have helped me gain a rough idea of the shapes and tools I could use when it comes to making different assets which require different skills I have not learnt before meaning I would not have wasted time on assets such as the camera.

My original plans did not change much through the planning to modelling process, My torch and Lego figure staged exactly the same, I changed the space helmet and boots so they looked more like a set, I did  this by colour coordinating them with each other and the colours I used mean they also match the inside of the spaceship. I swapped the camera for a photo frame, after making it I decided that I would make the stand hinge onto the back to make it look more realistic when floating. I also made the coffee cup more realistic by adding a card texture and a realistic lid. These amendments helped me meet the brief as it looks more effective and this created wonder and excitement for the audience which is what I aimed to do as it enhances their experience.

My torch and Lego figurine were modelled exactly as planned and I am very happy with the outcome. I changed the design of my helmet after making a rough design in Maya, I made the transparent window at the front a bit smaller so it could sit in then helmet and it can flip up into the helmet, I feel this adds to the design and makes it look more aesthetically pleasing. My space boots were not originally meant to be included in my animation, I made them when I was practicing space gravity and I felt that they followed my theme and suited the style of the spaceship therefore I added them to my animation. The one design that changed the most was my photo frame, this asset replaced the camera that I decided not to include, at first is was simply a wooden frame however I gave the frame itself more shape by dragging out the corners making it look very modern and I also made a stand to hold the photo frame up however as the design process went on I decided to make the stand a hinge which will slowly flap up and down as the frame is flying off.

To create the modern edges I selected the vertex or opposite corners and dragged them out creating a curved edge that looks very sleek. To create the hinge on the photo frame I used Booleans and Difference, I first made my stand then created 2 polygon cubes and used Booleans to create the teeth of the hinge in my stand, while this tool was very effective there are different ways you can cut/merge them this meant I had to do alot of experimenting and trial and error while using the tool before getting the hang of it, also the object you select first makes a difference as which shape is going to create the intersectino in the other shape, this is all what I had to learn in trial and error. To create the torch I used a variety of tools but most importantly I used the face selection tool which allowed me to enlarge certain faces enabling me to create shapes such as the cone on top of the torch. I also used the merge tool allowing me to combine polygons, I used this tool to create the helmet, this tool was very useful however when I merge two objects the pivot point changes meaning if I dont reset the pivot point to the centre of the new shap it will enlarge or move from the point. Finally I used the UV Mapping tool when applying the texture I created to my space helmet, I ensured that the buttons and the flags were located in the correct place in the right proportion by editing the position and proportion in the UV Mapper, while UV Mapping I found that the NASA logo I originally intended to feature on the space helmet did not fit to the correct scale or proportion when fitting the texture, I did not want this to decrease the quality of the asset and as a result I did not feature it in my design.

The first asset I am particularly proud of is the coffee cup as this is the first model where I had planned to use Booleans in advanced as I had never planned to use this tool when creating a piece of work that would contribute towards my course work which lead to the final result of this asset being one that I see as a special achievement as it is a tool I learnt how to use myself in my own time which I was then able to reflect into my graded work, I also feel that the overall result of this model is very realistic and easily recognised as a coffee cup. The second asset I am very proud of is my Lego figure, I was proud of this as it was one of the most time consuming assets to make and I feel my finished model looks very much like a Lego figure you could pick up on a shop shelf. The final asset I am extremly proud of is my photo frame, this is because I came up with my own design for the hinge that would hold the stand on the back up which was successful, this allows the stand on the back of the photo frame to float up and down while the photo frame itself is floating making it more realistic, I also used my own photo from my skydive I did previously in the year.

When choosing my textures I mainly had to consider my target audience as at the end of the day they are the people who will be seeing them the most and the people I must make them appeal to. Bearing in mind my target audience is teenagers (13-19 year olds) I wanted to make it look classy to appeal to the upper end of the target audience yet bright so it appealed to the lower end, I chose a very bright shiny gold and a deep navy blue, these colours link very well when put together and I feel the final result is very classy yet appealing therefore meeting the specification of my target audience. I also had to ensure the textures I used would link into the theme of space which is why even on the space helmet and booths I features gold and blue stripes to tie them into the scene. I feel next time I could use a wider variety of textures to break up my scene a bit more.

First I planned what I was going to make by sketching my initial ideas on paper, I felt this was good as it allowed me to draw my interpretation of an object however I am not the best at drawing therefore this process possibly would have been more effective if I could have researched images of different forms or styles of that chosen asset. Secondly, I made a mood board of the colours I wanted to use and related items along my theme. I then started to create my selected assets in Maya finally, texturing them and animating them, I feel that the process after the sketches was very effective and easy to manage time. Following on from the planning process I created a master scene (spaceship interior) and in seprate files I created the assets in Maya ensuring I textured them along the way and werging the finished asset into 1 shape. I then placed all the sepreate assets into my masterscene and then animated the scene.

Key framing was an essential part of the creation of my animation, it allowed me to ensure the motion of the assets floating was consistant and fluent however, this took some practice so I experimented on random polygons/models I created to get more of a solid knowledge of how to use key frames to enhance the feel of my animation. I started by selecting the first frame, I then moved the asset to where I wanted it to start from, in this case it was the table in my space scene. I then moves the frames on to 50 for example, the asset is then moved to where I would like it to be at that frame, to make it move fast I would make it go a longer distance in less time (less frames) or to make it go slower I would make it travel the same distance but allow it more time (more frames) to do so. After it is moved to where I want it to be at that specific frame I set another key frame by clicking 'S' I continued to do this and a big benefit to key framing was I could see where the other assets were at the desired frame meaning I could make the asstet im woking on float up to the same hight in the same amount of frames giving the effect of the floating consistant. A major drawback for key framing was my asstet with a pivot point (the photoframe) In order for the stand to be in the same place when floating I had to merge it with the rest of the frame so it would mirror its movements and rotation in the air however once in place I had to un merge, change the pivot point and then move the stand outwards so make it look like its floating on its hinge however, once un merged then merged back together it became a new object therefore the old keyframes were no longer in place and therefore the photoframe would simply be in on position in the air from start to finish, obviously this is not the desired finish. As a result I had to key frame the photoframe and the stand seperatley but make the pivot point of the stand where the stand and photoframe join making the finished product a photoframe with a swinging stand as the rest of it floats up.  

I feel that my technical skills in Maya have majorly advanced considering at the begining of the corse  this was new software for me to learn. I feel I am particularly good at modelling and this is something I really enjoy doing, Over the past months I have learnt a variety of different tools and built up my modelling skills, I particularly enjoy designing and modeling products and other objects. I feel I the area witin Maya I could improve upon is animating as this is the area I have spent the least amount of experience with. In the future I wish to build up a wider knowledge of the tools avalible in Maya and be capable of more chalenging tasks.

I feel that throught this project I have kept to my scedule very well and that I have stayed on track, the main reason for this was because I stuck to my production scedule, I also feel I made a good decision by leaving the creation of the camera till last and finishing it if I had time rather than waiting untill I finished it then rushing my other assets, this ensured I could finish the scene to the high quality I wanted.

Overall I am very pleased with my final outcome and I feel it fits its purpose well doe to all the consideration and effort I put into it. I feel that the animation has exceeded my expectation as the only time I had animated in Maya was in my own time on personal projects meaning this is the first time that I am being asses on my animating skills, I am very proud of the result. Personally I felt that modelling the assets was my strongest skill in this unit although i am very please with how the objects float around the sectioned of room although , I feel that I could have used the space more effectively in my animation as the primary scene is located in the captains quarters which is separated from the rest of the spaceship via  a glass wall, in the background there are not floating objects which in real life could be plausible however very unlikely so if I could make any improvements I would add some floating assets in the background.

Evaluation of 3D Enviroment

Evaluation of 3D Environment

The brief instructed me to create a futuristic environment, there were many different approaches and styles I could choose from however I chose to keep it clean with advance technology by using straight lines and neutral colours, this would be my interpretation of a futuristic environment. I will further explain the assets that I have created and why I made them.

Initially I gained more knowledge of the area by researching other people’s interpretations of 3D environments. I then created a mood board that contained different futuristic assets including I found a model of an artificial tree concept created in China, an armoured vehicle, a futuristic fire truck.and buildings from this I took inspiration and made my own versions improving and adapting the designs as I go. I found this very helpful as it gave me a guideline and a step up as without this I would have gone into this project blind. Through the planning process I feel it would have been better if we made sketches or rough 3D models of our initial designs before researching so we could see how our initial ideas could be improved upon rather that adapting other people’s ideas. My initial sketches were made up of and artificial tree, an armoured hover vehicle, a vaporising bin, a lamppost, a teleport bus stop and a skyscraper, these were all initially coloured in with what I thought would be appropriate looking when it came to the texturing process. 

My original ideas were to make a very durable looking town by making it look very blocky and using metal textures. My initial skyscraper had a cone at the bottom so people could not climb up it, the bin was made of metal and had hazard tape round the top and bottom. I also created a shop with a rotary door to file large crowds with a big CCTV camera on top and a mechanical claw to move objects or people. I later adapted my designs by changing the textures to more neutral colours and I preferred a sleeker looking village as I feel this was more futuristic that my initial design.

To create my 3D environment I used a variety or tools, the main tool I used was the manipulator with this I could move objects, shapes, faces, vertexes and edges to create different shapes. I used the manipulator tool to create the artificial tree seen in my environment I used it to position the different polygons together in the appropriate places to ensure it look realistic. Booleans is another key tool I used when creating my village, it allowed me to merge shapes in order to create things such as windows or other objects. I used this to create my restaurant windows; this allowed me to make it appear that the same shape has a window cut out of it. In addition I used the extrusion tool, this allowed me to select faces, edges or vertexes and drag them out, I usually added divisions in order to extrude smaller segments of an object, this tool allowed me to create the mechanical hand coming out of one of my shop faces. UV mapping is a tool that ensured I could apply textures to objects accurately, making sure that the edges line up with each other and it is evenly spread and in the correct proportion. Examples of the use of this tool can be seen in multiple places in my environment but mainly on the vending machine, I used a Coca-Cola texture to decorate it. Finally I used the fill hole tool to create a face over holes, an example of where this has been used in my environment is on the edge of the wind turbine blades on top of my restaurant, to create these I started with a cylinder, deleted the edges so I could move the vertical edges without then overlapping or passing through any other edges then when they were all in place I used the fill hole tool to give the blades a clean finish.  

One of my main features of my environment is my skyscraper, I am particularly proud of this model as I put a lot of effort and time into creating it. It is split into 3 smaller buildings connected by a series of tunnels raised off the ground level, I extruded these 3 smaller building from a regular polygon however all 3 shapes fit into each other as the building can retract in in the case of an earthquake to make it stronger. Another feature in my environment is a restaurant, I created this by merging a number of polygons I had previously extruded and then using Booleans I added in windows, I am pleased with the final outcome as it suits the style of my environment. Finally I created a mini apple store that is fully furnished with iPad’s Macs and Apple Watches. I like this feature as it enhances the look of my environment and fits in well. I made the walls of the Apple Store transparent to make them look like windows, I done this by making the selected faces light blue then changing the opacity so the interior and products can be seen from the outside.

I sourced most of my textures from Google however because I used neutral colours I also used the colours available to me on Maya. If I were to go back and start the texturing process again I would get a selection of textures to start with so they are available to me when I needed them and I could have some backups in case they didn’t work, I would also have attempted to make some of my own by either taking pictures or using Photoshop. My skyscraper uses a light grey brick texture, I used this as it looks like a futuristic alternative to bricks. Another texture I used was Chrome ENV this is one of Mayas default textures and it makes the object look reflective I used this as it was very modern and sleek. I used a grass texture to add some greenery into my environment to show that it is still looking after the environment. To decorate my armoured hover vehicle aka THE ENFORCER I used a steel texture, as I wanted it to look aggressive.    

When starting the modelling process I sketched out my initial ideas of what I wanted my assets to look like, I then took them and made rough 3D models in Maya, once I had a model for each sketch I when back and made improvements and also textured them. I later imported them all into the same document and made some minor adjustments to finish it. I then animated my car to sake the camera round the environment.

 I feel my environment suits the brief well as it meets all the specification points, My completed environment exceeds my initial expectations as I have included all my initial assets and made some more to enhance the feel the viewer will receive. I feel to improve my environment I would make it a bit bigger and pay attention to smaller details and also ensure all my assets are to the correct scale in the first place to save time later in the project.

Robot Evaluation

Over the course of 19 weeks I was given the task of creating a robot sidekick, to get started I done some research of the current market and futuristic characters to take inspiration from. Now I have completed my model I am reflecting on the work I have done seeing its benefits and flaws.

As I briefly explained before my model had to fit the brief of a robot sidekick, this opened many pathways of ideas that would all fit the spectrum, after my initial design to create a robot that looks cute and friendly, I later changed it to have many of the same features but more stern looking and more agile. Now I have finished I can say I have full confidence it has met this criteria as it has CCTV cameras, a storage compartment on his chest and grabber hands these features were added to give the model "efficient and agile” look meaning it can protect its self but still access most areas despite the terrain if needed to whilst still looking small and innocent. I completely believe my robot is a great sidekick due to the fact it is compact, fierce and well equipped making it very practical in most if not all situations. I ensured it would be fit for purpose by taking inspiration from other successful sidekicks and merging the characteristics. The main resemblance would be from Wall-e the robot from the film Wall -e the model sees a resemblance to Wall-e in the sense that it is compact, it ability to drive over most terrain and especially the wheels, the robots main reliance to manoeuvre. To ensure it had the full package I incorporated weapons seen on AT-ST’s from Star Wars such as the guns on the side of my model. All these factors combine ensure my model is successful.

When creating my model I had to ensure it was successful by using a variety of different modelling tools and skills such as: Booleans, extruding, bevel and UV mapping. Firstly, I incorporated a dropped edge around the door to my models chest storage compartment, I copied the main body and shrunk it in size, used Booleans to remove the area where they were in contact leaving me with the whole compartment sunk so I used the other copy of the body and placed it in the centre of the sunken area, I done this very effectively as the end product looked exactly how I imagined it and I believe it has enhanced the overall look and feel of the robot meaning deviating from my original plan has improved the robot. I also had to use extrusion to make the abnormal shapes seen on my model such as the main body. I did this by selecting the faces manipulating the shape and angle however, I had to ensure it was symmetrical as my model contains many clean lines.  

 

I incorporated many different shapes into my design and I used a combination of shapes to make smaller objects such as CCTV cameras and circuit boards. My most complex objects is most likely the circuit board seen through the transparent window in the chest compartment of my model, this is because it took a long time to create it and I have used different skills such and Booleans, this circuit board has many different shapes on it and it is very detailed, with the colours I have used it was very realistic. Texturing was probably my biggest challenge through the whole project, firstly I had to ensure all the edges of the texture lined up by using a texture map checker, the I had to source appropriate textures or create my own and then apply them, as easy as it sounds this process was very time consuming however I am happy with the final result, In the end I used the ENV chrome texture on Maya I changed it to this after I had feedback saying the metal texture was too dark.   

In order for the model to be rendered there must be lighting, this was also harder than anticipated as all the lights were very bright and it was hard to find a medium that was now to bright it took the colour away from the model but not to dark that you could’t see the models intricate details. I resolved this problem with many minor adjustments to the intensity and different positioning.   

I had eight non-bias responses to my model; all of the participants were around the age of my target audience. The feedback they gave me was that overall the model needs to stand out a bit more however there was a variety of age groups that they thought the model was directed at, most answers were above the audience I targeted at so I may have to make some adjustment and make the same people re-take the survey. I believe this was due to the dark textures. 7/8 people said that it suits the title of a “robot sidekick”.   

Overall, I believe that my model was very successful, as I had created a model that fits the brief on software I had never seen or used before meaning I have also personally accomplished a hurdle. As the project progress my confidence of the software grew and reflecting on my work I wish I chose a more complex design to start off with however my lack of knowledge for the software lead me to choose a more simple design. I can now take the skills that I have learnt into new projects. The hardest part of this project was dealing with unfamiliar software however, I feel that I achieved the best that I could with what I knew and I now have a successful model.