Dwarven level: Christmas Update

So ALOT has happened in the past few days. I kinda had a "Ah Hah" moment which was essentially a texturing/artistic workflow breakthrough.

For one I figured out a workflow for creating the visual style for World of Warcraft. I'm still getting used to it but I have great hope for my next attempt at a level/environment set in the Warcraft universe.

I'm very excited to do more of this.

 

Dwarven level: Update

I decided the big open area in my level needed something to fill the space a bit better. I ended up taking influence from the Explorers league architecture in Ironforge.

 My version isn't quite as tall but still is pretty similar. All still a WIP. The room might actually be a bit tight now.

A few handpainted textures ive been working on.

Process gif of one of the rock textures above

Dwarven Level Progress

A bit more progress. Getting very close to the texture phase. The level is still look a bit empty. A few props would help with that. I'm looking at ways to sell the scale a bit better. In UDK the scale the structures is fairly large.

A few hand-painted textures I made a bit ago. I probably won't end up using these, but I liked how they turned out.

 

 

Break time - Dwarven Level

Over this winter break I decided to partake in the blizzard student art contest. The challenge is to create an environment that will fit into the Warcraft universe and match there art style.

 

The images below include some of the changes my level has gone through over the past week or so. Keep in mind these are all still very much a work in progress.

The Start of Some Hand Painted Goodness

I decided to try and MAYBE compete in the blizzard art contest over this winter break. I've been trying my luck at doing some hand painted textures. These are still early WIPs but man have I have been having a blast doing these.

Definitely more to come.

Print and Play: The Grand Escape

The print any play is finally here. Here is the printable version. Feel free to give it a try

if you want. 

I will say that I have learned a great amount from making this game. At times it was frustrating but I'm glad I did get a chance to do this project. Overall it was a eye-opening experience.

The next step is to start working on the final version. This has to be boxed and store quality.

Enjoy.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BytKVK689mnwcFV5ZDlxVjR2MFE/edit?usp=sharing

Theme

Prepro for our board games is finally here! I must say that I'm very excited to build my own board game. One of the first steps was to decide upon an overall theme for our game.

Theme: Lust for Power; Power Corrupts

Motifs: Countering an opponent, hindering an/or disrupting an opponents movement on the board, spells and/or runes of power

Concept statement: "Satisfy your lust for power."

The theme for my board game is an ever-growing lust for power. The reason I chose this theme is because the main objective in my game is based around a tome of knowledge, or a object of immense power. Basically you play as an Explorer or some sort of Grand Mage (I haven't decided yet) navigating through the halls of a Grand Library, trying to reach its center. Along the way you use you power to disrupt opponents to guarantee you will be the first to enter.

Research:

Theme: Lust for Power; Power Corrupts

The theme I'm going for in my board game is actually quite popular in modern cinema. A great example of the lust for power theme is in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

• The ring has a corrupting influence and is synonymous for power.
•  The ring holds attraction for many, but noone is able to "possess" it.  
• The ring cannot be controlled or tamed.

Its interesting because everyone who possess the ring is ultimately corrupted by it. This even goes for the "good" hero in the film, Frodo.

Soruce: http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Lord_Of_The_Rings_Tolkien/Lord_Of_The_Rings29.html

Color Palette Possibilities 

Here are a few colors palettes I have been messing around with. My inspiration comes from World of Warcraft. I love Blizzard use of color specially in Sunwell Plateau and Black Temple. Overall the color palette for Burning Crusade as a whole was pretty awesome.

Examples:

Brainstorming

For for my Game Design class we were tasked with coming up with a few different ideas of mechanics, themes, and ideas in regards to our board game development project.

I have been playing with the idea of a board game in which the players are tasked with navigating to the center of the board and obtaining some sort of relic or item. The first player to reach the center has control of the relic. They must then navigate back the way they came and exit the board game.

Movement is based on rolling dice and grabbing tiles that dictate which way you must travel. Think of it like navigating a dungeon in Diablo or a similar dungeon crawler game.

The main mechanic is that players have the ability, when prompted, to move tiles on the board, possibly screwing up the path that their opponent was hoping to take.

Idea Generation

A few ideas I have been playing with adding include the following:

• Player Card mechanic in which players may opt to draw a card that will somehow offer a power-up. Ex: "On your next turn, add +1 to you tile pool."
• Event Card mechanic in which after every turn (all player movement) an event happens that affects all players. Ex: "The roof caves in. Grab a trap tile and place it in your path."
• A board set up that allows for 2 different game types; King of the hill and Capture the relic.
• Combat systems based upon a dice roll.
• Health system that gives each player a certain amount of HP (hit-points).
• Character specific attributes such as DEX, STR, DEF, AWAR.
• Movement tiles that have special values associated to them. Ex: Left, Straight, Three Way
• Trap tiles that block and hinder player movement. Ex: Gas, Barricade, Chasm, Cave In
• Portal tiles that give the players ability to quick travel around the map.
• Magic based theme in which Grand Mages are trying to navigate a mystical library.
• Fantasy based theme in which Explorers are navigating a crypt.
• Fantasy based theme in which Explorers are navigating haunted sewers.
• Humor based theme in which Hobos are navigating city blocks.
•  "Hand painted" art style, popular in a lot of fantasy video games.
• Realistic gritty style, possibly horror themed.
• Zombie themed, possibility of outside elements killing you.
• The ability to choose, on your turn, whether or not you want to roll, replace tiles, or grab a player card.
• Player cards that only go into effect once you gather a certain amount. Ex: Once you have 3 speed cards, add +3 to you dice roll for that turn.
• Player card that opens a portal. Based on your roll the effect might be different. Ex: Roll a 1 sends you back to the start square.
• A secret bookshelf tile that completely rotates 360 degrees on the board.

Player Cards:

I really like the idea of this mechanic. I think it offers a bit of diversity to play. For example, a player would essentially sacrifice all of their movement to constantly get player cards. 

This could possibly lead to a substantial amount of power-ups. However, if they spend too many turns on cards their opponent could be much closer to the center. Players have to balance moving tiles and grabbing player cards.

Portals:

Portal tiles could offer a very dynamic element to the game. If the players draw portals tiles they could be able to freely move between their portals to quick travel around the board. A cool mechanic that could go with the portals is a player card that allows an enemy player to move between the portals of an opposing player.

Deconstruction: Penguin's Night Out

Penguin's Night Out


Goal of the Game:

The main goal of Penguin's Night Out is to collect all of your penguin buddies that are scattered throughout the board. After collecting them you must be the first player to navigate back to your nest.


Core Mechanic:

At its core, Penguin's Night Out has lots going for it. The core mechanic of this game has to do with how players are able to alter and shape the board in which they are playing on.

The game consists of 2 phases. First a player rolls a single 6 sided die and moves the corresponding spaces. Next they roll 2 dice. These 2 numbers correspond to a domino on the play field. They are now able to select the corresponding domino on the board and move it anywhere on the board, as long as it connects in some way.

Space of the Game:

The game board for Penguin's Night Out is 3D and continuous. Players move on top of dominoes.  The game allows for a constant changing of the board due to its core mechanic of placing and moving dominoes.

Objectives, Attributes, and States:

1. Objectives: The objectives of Penguin's Night out include the player tokens, buddy tokens, and the dominoes in the game space.

2. Attributes: The attributes of the domino objective pieces are their numerical values associated with them. This includes values such as 2:3 and 4:6. The buddy and player tokens do not have attributes tied to them.

3. States: All of the three objects have static states meaning their attributes don't change at all during the game. The domino pieces are able to be moved but do't change in state.


Operative Actions and Resultant Actions:

The operative actions, or basic actions the player can take include the following:

1. Move the player token forward, backward, left, and right
2. Roll the dice
3. Move dominoes to alter the map how they see fit
4. Collect a buddy token

The resultant actions, or the meaningful actions to the grand scheme of the game include:

1. Block an opponent, making them take a longer alternative route to their buddy token or nest.
2. Move "blank" space in front of your opponent making it so they lose their turn.
3. Stun an opponent
4. Move a buddy token space further from your opponent or closer to you
5. Move a nest further from your opponent or closer to you

Skills Players Learn:

Penguin's Night Out is an interesting game when it comes to player skill. Honestly, theres not a whole lots of skill  that goes into playing this game. One could argue that messing with your opponents or "trolling" them by altering the board could count as mental skill.

In a way, trying to look ahead and planning which pieces you are going to change when you can alter the board takes skill. You are in a way attempting to plan how to get your opponent to go where you want them to go or even take a long route.


The Role of Chance: 

Change plays a key role in Penguin's Night Out. The entirety of the game centers around the roll of the dice. Basically all movement done within the game world is based on chance. Even the dominoes the players can move are based off of a dice roll. In order to move a domino you must roll the dice and move the corresponding domino that matches your dice roll.

Print and Play Game Analysis: Penguin's Night Out

For Game Design 1, we were tasked with finding a print and play game and analyze it. My group chose this funny little game called Penguin's Night Out. The objective of the game is to traverse the board, gather your penguin buddies, and ultimately be the first back to the nest.

Story

"You've kept your beak to the grindstone with a hard week of catching fish and keeping eggs warm. Now it’s time to gather your friends together, group at your nest, then head into town to party the night away.

Unfortunately there’s only one dogsled available to go into town, so the first group that’s ready to leave gets to ride in style, while everyone else has to walk. To complicate matters, local drilling is causing the ice to crack and shift unpredictably.

The path that you take to get to your buddies may not be there on your way home. On top of that, the Polar Bear Gang has been making life tough, so you’ll have to be super-sneaky if you need to go through their territory. Even so, you’re not going to let these obstacles stop you. 

You deserve a break, and you’ll be darned if you’re going to make the long, cold, 60-mile hike to town on flipper. Be the first one to gather your buddies up and get home again and you’ll be ready for a…"

Penguin's Night Out

Source: http://www.invisible-city.com/play/113/penguins-night-out

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19502/penguins-night-out

Basics of Play

On paper Penguin's Night Out seemed much more complicated than it ended up being. The set up time took a little longer than planned, only because we didn't have some of the required pieces. The game requires the use of Dominoes, which we didn't have. 

The game consists alternating rounds or "phases".  In the first phase the player rolls a die and moves his/her Penguin the corresponding number of tiles.

The second phase consists of the player rolling two dice. The player then selects the corresponding domino tile and is able to move the entire tile anywhere on the board.

 For example: If Player 1 rolls a 4 and a 6, they must select the corresponding domino tile and move it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game. The mechanics of strategy and chance was interestingly balanced. The main goal was to essentially screw over your opponent. In one particular game I was about to win and opponent was able to move the domino in front of my penguin. I had figure out a new way to navigate to reach my destination.

Came across this trailer..

I love stumbling upon great things. I was browsing the internet and found a trailer for Shadow Warrior. Apparently its a remake of the classic from 3D Realms. I feel I should know about the original... Anyways, I'm a huge fan of crazy over-the-top in your face type of games and felt this was definitely worthy of a share. Enjoy.

Freshman Year Art

For our Game Design class we were asked to post up some old work from last year. Here are a few examples of some of the pieces I worked on Freshman year:

Game Cinematic Trailer

For class we were asked to post a cinematic trailer from a video game that we enjoy. The cinematic above is from a game I followed for years while it was in development. Star Wars: The Old Republic is a MMORPG developed by BioWARE.

The reason I like this trailer is because its based off of one of my favorite games of all the, Star Wars:

Knights of the Old Republic. One great thing about this trailer is its build up of suspense through its visual narrative. This is mirrored in the choices of music used throughout. In typical Star Wars fashion, the music is phenomenal. 

The animation in this trailer is fantastic. The fight scenes are well choreographed and really help show the diversity within this world they have created. Each character feels unique. What I mean is that the Jedi and Sith fighting at the end clearly have different fighting techniques. A large amount of detail was put in to differentiate between the two to make them feel unique.

Matte paintings

A few more mattes and random enviro speed paintings.