Context
SWOT Analysis of my Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
What does SWOT stand for?
The abbreviation SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. You use this analytic method to assist you in identifying your key features that can help but also hinder you in projects. I use SWOT to organise the plans I have and allow myself to explore my successes.
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Proposal Form
Why do a proposal form?
I filled out this proposal form as a way of showing my first intentions for this project. Sections are included for: Rationale, Project Concept, Chosen evaluation methods, Proposed research sources. Also featured is a time plan. This should ensure I keep on track and know what tasks to focus on each week.
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Research
Starting the necessary research
Without properly researching everything in great detail I would be at a large disadvantage. Therefore, I will be unable to create a product that meets the project brief, as well as my own visions for the final result.
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There are some areas that I will need to prioritise during this phase. Despite the lack of primary research opportunities, I will need to gain as much as I can. This can come in the form of surveys and playing games related to mine.
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Due to this, secondary research will be my main form of research throughout this unit. However I can turn this into an advantage if done correctly.
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For my Subway tunnel environment, I plan to look into both real life examples, those made in 3D as well as important aspects that surround them. During this I will note down the essentials, this will form my asset list.
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I will also need to research what makes an effective narrative. Since currently I do not have a confirmed version, nor a draft. The priority for this is high. This can be done via viewing sources relating to the mystery genre.
Examples and analysis of other walking simulators.
What is a Walking Simulator?
A walking Simulator doesn't have a lot of action within the game. Rather, they focus on the environment and what you can see around you. Adding to this; the story behind the environment is what drives the game unlike the action.
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A good example of a Walking Simulator is: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. This game is set in 1984 and takes place in a small fictional village called Yaughton. Being set in both an outdoor and indoor environment was a good artistic choice and is essential for the story and context. It allows the player to experience all areas of the story as they aren't tied to one setting.
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After discussing and looking at examples, I would say the prominent art style is semi realistic on the outside and exterior, whereas inside there is a small crossover of semi realism and stylised. I think it turned out very well as an artistic choice.
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As mentioned earlier, walking sims aren't based around action, rather they are designed for you to walk around and immerse yourself in the environment created. However they do still have a variety of mechanics that are used to entertain the player and give them things to do whilst in the game. As in Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, there are simple interactions such as the ability to control light switches. Adding on, in this game the interaction elements are mainly triggered in certain areas and not by the player directly. This mechanic is something that I would like to take forward and use myself since it would fit the smaller space that i will be making.
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The use of audio and narrative is high and play out along side the art of the game to communicate the meaning in each area. A good example is when the player is outside and ventures into a phonebox. As soon as the player enters a narration sound plays. This narration is the main way the story is told within the game. Without the audio, it could be argued the only thing this game has is the art, there would be no story unless the sound is present.
My idea
What is my idea
When we were first presented with the project brief and the task of making a walking simulator, i was unsure what I would have to create. This is due to not knowing much about this type of game. However after researching and finding out more about it, i quickly formed an idea. This idea was to combine the mystery genre with ideas of adventure.
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From this intital genre decision I later came to encorarate a past love, that being a train toy and visiting railways. I also wanted to combine this with something more present. So I though of being late to work. This combination was something that I would be able to make a good pitch on, as well as a good final result.
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For my practical, I will be creating a train tunnel bassed off the London underground and American Subways. This environment will include the main tunnel as well as a rectangular "rest room" where the passangers would be able to get off in emergancies. I will also find a way to add background and lore into the game, this will provide context and origin.
Idea Generation
Mind mapping
To create my mind map, I used MindMeister. Out of the other websites I have used for mind maps, this proved to suit me the best. Due to this, I was able to gather a range of ideas needed for this project. These are shown below. In future, I will use this site again.
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Mood board creation
In addition to my mindmap, I also created a simple moodboard. This contains a collection of images that relate to my chosen game environment. I decided to collect them in two forms. One being real life examples, this is due to my inability to travel for primary research. The second being game environments & 3D models.
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For now this mood board will remain minimalistic, though throught the research faze I can always come back and add to it when needed.
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For later in the project some of these images will be used a guides when creating the art for my game.
After gathering these images, I have a better vision of what it is I will be creating. Despite my work not being to the same scale as these artists, I will still try to make my work on a level as close to theirs as possible.
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I have noticed that most of the images include a collection of gaps, this is where they isn't much going on apart from the tunnel and rails themselves. This could be an issue when keeping the player hooked and willing to continue playing the game.
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To counter this, I intend to add small object scattered around. They would serve a purpose in a full game version. For the sake of this project, I will keep them purely for decoration. This could change depending on time.
Core elements to mystery games
When considering anything from the mystery genre there are a group of core elements that are essential. Arguably the most important being the plot. It should be believable whilst exciting enough to keep the player hooked and wanting to play on without getting bored. There should also be clues woven into the story line. This should be slightly noticeable by the player and provide them with answers throughout. Some false clues could be added to further thicken the work of the player. You could make the narrative so the player will be acting as if they are a detective, this is one way a developer can keep they games audience hooked.
What is atmosphere and how can I use it?
Atmosphere is defined as "the tone or mood of a place". This is a very important aspect when creating a game. The atmosphere must be appropriate for the game you have created. If you were to make a game centred around horror, it would be inappropriate for the atmosphere to give the player a sense of safety. Instead the atmosphere should make the player feel vulnerable.
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Since my game falls under the mystery genre, I will make sure that the atmosphere I create will fit the gameplay as well as the story and setting. Within my tunnel environment I plan to add atmospheric fog. When this is added to the environment in the correct way I believe it will create the correct atmosphere. It could also add a small amount of tension, this will add to the overall end result.
Target audience
As I have said previously in my Project Pitch, I am aiming my game towards the target audience of males/females aged between 15-20 and from the Lower Middle class up to the Middle Class. This is what I have planned from the initial idea generation stage. Despite this, when the results of my survey come back I may notice that this needs to be changed. However as with a good game it should provide anyone that plays it with a level of entertainment, even if it isn't directly aimed towards them. Meaning that although my audience is 15-20, people of ages 20-30 should also get some entertainment out of it. Even if its not so much.
Examples of train tunnel environments (1)
One of many good examples, this environment (above) is not too distant from what I am wanting to re-create. Although I will aim to make mine less empty that this, there are areas that I can gain inspiration from. Such as the lights following down the tunnel on the sides. Whilst I don't want too much lighting, I can still have areas with more light using models like these. Another good area from this image is the pipe lines that run along the tunnel walls, these are something that I want to create since I believe they will add a good sense of placement and further add to the scene.
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However, there are some areas that I don't want to include. Such as the tracks shown here. I think they could be made in a better way as a modular asset and not one continuous length. I will also be adding wooden planks between them linking them together and achieving the overall look I desire. The tunnel it's self I do like and will be using a texture similar. These will also be modular assets put together to form one continuous tunnel.
Examples of train tunnel environments (2)
This example is one of the best I have seen whilst looking for my main example. It portrays my vision exactly. The signals providing lighting at a specific point is something I am looking to imitate, I feel as if this would be good for the story and narrative of my mystery genre. It could raise the question of "if this tunnel is abandoned why is the light on". This could also create a small sense of fear since the
player might think there is a train coming. However I wouldn't want this to be overwhelming. This environment also features a walk way on the left with barriers protecting the walker from the rails. I will also be creating this leading up to the room that will be in the middle. Pipes being at the top is another feature I will be carrying over.
Chosen location and setting
Whilst I have already decided on the setting of my project, I haven't written down my ideas for a confirmed location. This is due to wanting a home based environment but also a realistic location for it to be in. The United Kingdom lacks subways outside of London and the ones present wouldn't fit my theme nor context as well as a United States setting. From this with my knowledge on America and Subways, my overall location will now be in the United States.
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I wont need to include visual signs such as flags or locations within this tunnel, since everything is to be set modern day except for the tunnel it's self. However what I will do is add painted signs for "North" and "South". Therefore the location is mainly for the context and narrative. I feel these would suit the States better than the UK.
Effectively Opening a game
From early on in this project, I knew that I wanted to create the start to a game, a place where the player first "wakes up" to a new surrounding. Due to this, I will need to conduct further research into how to form an effective beginning to a game. If this isn't done then I may find mine doesn't meet the standards I would like to achieve.
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I intend for this small portion of my game to provide the players a good amount of answers to some of the questions they might have. For example, I believe they should know why they are where they are. I intend to do this either via a small prop or use of subtitles.
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An important part of this would be not giving the player a sense of completion until the very end. I would like to keep the genre present throughout the game.
How do you write a good narrative?
According to "Thoughtful Learning", there are five main stratagies that you can use when coming up with a good narrative. The first stratagy suggests starting with action or dialogue. Due to walking simulators having little to no action, I am less likely to use this stratagy.
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The second stratagy however seems more suitable for this situation, it suggests asking a question. They provide an example stating "Why does trouble always follow me around? Do I have a "kick me" sign on my back or something?" This could work really well for me. The first line could act as the question whereas I could hint to the lore via the second question. It could run like this: "Where am I? Am I late for work again?" Thus going back to the theme of being late.
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The third of the stratagies listed is describing the setting. For the location and plot of my game, this would also prove to be a good choice for a narrative. I would be able to type up a small narative and look at tutorials on how to impliment subtitles. This is only going to happen if there is time, but it isn't essential.
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Onto the fourth point. I could start with background infomation. This doesn't interest me as much as the others but could work if I needed it to.
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The fifth strategy is to have the main character introduce themselves. I suppose this could work, the character would be able to provide the player with infomation on themselves thus telling the player how they need to act in the game.
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Overall, if I use these stratays, I will likely pick 1-3 instead of 4-5.
Music in my game
Audio and music is an important part of every game, if done well it can enhance your game in many different ways such as buidling tensions, creating an atmosphere or even guding the player to the goal of the level. However, if the wrong sound effects or music is used then this could cause players to be enraged to the point they just wont play your game or not enjoy it as much as they should.
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Due this this as well as the constraints of time, I will be keeping any sound that I add to a minimum. My roughly thought out sound ideas include: Wind blowing (open tunnel) rain dripping (conveying the sense of being lost) footsteps (walking). I think these would go well with the game theme, genre and setting.
What lighting do I want?
Mystery games aren't always set in a dark environment, however that is what I am aiming for within this opening part to my game. However it wont be the easiest thing for me to do. But I do know exactly what I am wanting.
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Since the tunnel is the main attraction to this game, the lighting needs to be as good as I can make it. I have already discussed the use of signal lights and small saftey lights. These will still be used, but I havent discussed what will allow the player to still see through the darkness.
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My plan is to have fog on the ground, giving a sense of vulnerability within this abandoned place. I plan for the lighting to be darker and grey with hints of brown. This will reflect and enhance the sides of the tunnel and the tracks themselves.
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It is important to understand the ways in which lighting can be used within games. For example, it may provide the scene with more realism compared that the of an unlit scene. However, it may be used to the the player what they need to do such as guiding them towards an enterance to a building they should enter next.
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A good way of deciding what type of light to use is via the colour temprature. I found this image to show the different types of light used and what it is equivilent to. For example, since light is measured it ### 2,000k is equal to the amout of light imited by a candle.
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Due to wanting my environment to be darker and mysterious, I wll have my light set to a lower ####k. This should be enough for the player to see and look around but not too much to take away from the intended atmosphere. This could also decrease in some areas that should be darker.
Player Interactions
The type of game you are playing will have the most impact on what kind of interations the player will have. An example of this could be the popular game GTA V. In games such as these you will have interations with other players, this could be long distance by using a long ranged weapon or more close quaters with a lower ranged weapon.
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There are other games that have different kinda of interations for the player. In my game the player wont have too many things/people to interact with. This is due to me focusing primariliy on the design aspect compared to the interactive side.
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The main kind of interactions that would be in my game are: electricle boxes to turn the lights on. Lights that are sensitive to players. Lights turning off one at a time when the player is in a certain area.
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I feel like these would be a good addition if I am able to do so.
The mystery Genre
To create an efefctive and well thought out mystery game, I need to be confident on what makes a mystery game.
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Having searched for a good source of infomation around this genre, I finally came across Masterclass.com. Acording to this website, a mystery genre is apart of a wider community of fictional narratives. A large part of this genre is crime, usally the more servier types ushc as murder and disappearances. This element of disappearance is what I will play off of in my game. However this will be purely narrative bases and less noticable via the game play. Traditionally you will see a mystery genre film, book or game played from the perspective of the detective.
Typical structure of the mystery genre
The mystery genre has five main areas to it. Each with it's own amount of tension.
At the start there is usually a crime. This crime is followed by an investigation. Shortly after the investigation comes the twist. Before reaching the end, we have the break through. Shortly followed by the conclusion.
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Crime: This is the beginning of the mystery genre, it is where the audience gets introduced to the crime and story.
Investigation: Typically this is where the stories detective starts working on the mystery it's self, trying to work out what has happened and what needs to be done. They will now start to search for clues in order to sort the mystery.
Twist: This twist is where the detective finds yet another clue, it will usually shock them and the person reading (or in this case playing the game)
Breakthrough: This is where the last remaining clues are discovered and the mystery is solved.
Conclusion: Finally the mystery is solved, and the questions of the reader and audience will be answered.
Helping my research
At the start of the project, I knew I would struggle to keep up with all the different areas of research. Due to this, I came up with a research plan. I didn't do some of what I had planned due to timeconstraints, however the colour code i used made the work I did do really easy to catagorise. The ability to check off my work after completing it was something that really helpped me.
Primary Research
An Issue I have faced
Originally I wanted my game to be based within the North of England, this is due to the often open green areas. However, this was an oversight since there are no major Subways in the North of England. Due to this I will have to move my idea to a more subway friendly country such as America. Due to this, the amount of primary research I will be able to conduct could be limited.
Ideas and feedback survey
This is a survey I have created and will sent to classmates as well as other friends interesting in games. In addition to this, I will also send it to people that don't play as many games. This will be to see if the overall story is suitable.
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When I have made my game, I will also provide people with a similar form to fill out. This will allow me to compare who would play the game when they see how it has turned out compared to the initial story and idea. This will provide me with feedback on how well i can convert my ideas into reality.
Train tracks
Due to where I live, I am fortunate enough to not need to travel each day to get into college. However this wasn't helpful for collecting images of train tracks for primary research and reference images. However, in the end with help from a friend I was able to get a small bit of primary research. This image gives me a good look at the curvature of the tracks, allowing me to be mindful of the during the modelling process.
Despite not being able to get much primary research, I was fortunate enough to get this image of train tracks. Due to the angle I should be able to get a good model using this image. I can also see the pieces of metal linking the rails to the sleepers on the ground as well as the sleepers themselves, another useful area to model.
Subway Tunnel Scene
Below shows my further primary research into what I am creating. I was lucky enough to be provided with a free download of a subway scene made in the Unreal Engine. Since it was made a few years ago, I had to make a copy of the file to open in in the newer version of unreal. After doing this I was able to take a look around the scene and the assets used. One benefit of this is the ability to export the assets used. This means I can open them in maya to find out where I might need to improve with my models, so far just looking through them has helped my understanding of what I will need to do.
Tunnel Height
I was unsure of a good height for my tunnel environment, so I used these scale guys and stacked them on top of each other. By doing this I know that I should aim for my own tunnel to have the same height which is around 3 scale guys. Whilst in maya I can import these as guides, allowing me to keep to the size mentioned.
Door way
This image (above) shows a large amount of the tunnel. On the left there is a door way inserted into the wall. This door has no function apart from for decoration, however would be a good asset for me to create. We can also see the guard rails that would stop a character falling onto the tracks. I should also be able to make these on the sides of the tracks. There are also a large amaount of cables running along the side, these will be able to be made in Maya very easily. WIll use them as modualr assets.
Ending Research
Having conducted all of the research above, I am confident I will be in a good position to create an environment of my own that fits the given criteria.