Documentation Design

"Even the smallest light shines in the darkness"


Project Outline - 
The aim of this project is to introduce the player to the wonderful world of the 'MINIONS'. 
By sharing in their adventures players will experience a fun accessible game for all ages. 
The gameplay is based around choosing a squad of 4 'MINIONS' out of 22 playable characters, using their distinct abilities to progress through each stage of the game. 
My personal aim is to learn what makes a game fun to play, from start to finish, and to learn the skills to achieve this outcome. 
Decisions will be based on planning, testing and refining ideas. 
I hope to produce a game that will endear the 'MINIONS' to the world.


Game Summary - 
Minion is a slave...one momentous day a spark of defiance is fostered inside of him. 
In an act of rebellion he refuses the cruel commands of his master and is cast from the high peaks of their mountainous tower. 
There in the depths he is rescued by other rebellious exiles and begins to gather more allies to aid in their mission. 


Help the 'MINIONS' overthrow their evil oppressive Dark Lord by combining the strengths of all the 'MINIONS' to undo his diabolical deeds. Journey around the enchanted realms of Maximin and gain the skills you need to liberate the entire planet. 


Game Outline - 
You control any member of a 4 man squad each with their own special ability. The player must navigate through numerous stages to make their way back to the Dark Lords Tower. 


'MINIONS  - Rebelution's intention is to inspire the player to help the downtrodden, underdogs of the story the 'MINIONS'. 
By exploring and liberating the many realms that make up Maximin from the evil forces of the Dark Lord, you gain skills and allies to aid you in your final confrontation with the Dark Lord himself.  


Platform - 
XBLA, PSN, PS VITA, WII WARE, PC.


Genre - 
'Minions - Rebelution' is an Adventure/Exploration game. 


Audience - 
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)




Technology - 
Characters will be modelled in 3ds max 2012. 
UnrealEngine 3 will be used as the Game Engine. 
The game will feature stylised characters with realistic materials/textures. 

Similar Products - X-men Legends, Warp, Bastion, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 1, 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown






Technical Specifications - 


Lead Character 


Minion - 



5,000 Tris 
512 x 512 24bit D/N/S


The main protagonist of the story. Minion is a versatile character able to propel himself over a fair distance by swinging his Morning Star Mace. It can also be used to bash enemies on the head! When his Mace is Upgraded it changes from a Medium Range Attack to a Long Range Attack. 

NPC (Non-Playable Character)


Ogel - 



2,500 Tris
512 x 512 24bit D/N/S



Ogel's are a race of peaceful jelly-like creatures who are under the tyranny of the Dark Lord. 
They are forced to harvest Gems from nearby mines to fill the coffers of the Dark Lords Treasure Vaults. 


The player encounters them in a shanty town village that they inhabit called Oop. Appalled by the squalid conditions and their ill treatment at the hands of your enemy you rise to their defence.

Vehicle 


The Wheel - 



1,500 Tris
512 x 512 24bit D/N/S



Simply put The Wheel is a ramshackle mode of transport for the Minions. 
It is powered by a hand crank which the player must operate to put The Wheel into motion. 
The 4 playable characters must take turns on the crank as it can be very tiring relying on just one Minion. 

Environment 


The Sand Traps of DUME - 


(Vertical Slice)


Small Rocks are 256 x 256 24bit D/N/S
Large Rocks are 512 x 512 24bit D/N/S


Tile-able Ground 512 x 512 24bit D/N/S


Tile-able Sand 512 x 512 24bit D/N/S


Once a lush and verdant land, now a mixture of barren rock and shifting sands. A desolate wasteland hiding a deadly secret. 


What lies beneath the sands?

Props - 


Springboard - 


(Game Mechanic)


400 Tris 


256 x 256 24bit D/N/S


Can be jumped upon to reach higher platforms or just for fun. If you like that kind of thing.

Swing Ring - 


(Platform Primer)


400 Tris 


512 x 512 24bit D/N/S


The Swing Ring is used to circumnavigate environmental hazards. Once a player has connected with the Swing Ring it literally 'swings' them around to an adjacent platform. 
The chicken has no known function. It is just a chicken.

Sounds like a good idea

Having themselves influenced some of the most influential musical artist of the last few decades, I think it's safe to say that Rodgers and Edwards' contributions to music have been profound. 


Through his production skills and reputation, Nile Rodgers has given credibility to the world of video game music.


Whether they are responsible for recording the most influential recording of the 20th Century is debatable. Maybe the most influential bass line? 


'Good Times' was used as the first Hip Hop backing track, so it is conceivable. 


The most 'sampled' recording of the 20th Century that I know of is the Amen Break, taken from soul and funk outfit The Winstons - Amen, Brother. 

It comprises 4 bars of a drum solo which is responsible for spawning several subcultures of music 

Drum and Bass, BreakBeat, Jungle, Breakcore, Hardcore, Hardcore Techno. 


And having an impact on the genesis of genres like Industrial, Electronica, Dance and Pop. 


The origin of the Amen Break is from bootlegging Hip Hop DJ's. 
Using early sample-based techniques to extend the beat, they would switch between two copies of the record on separate turntables to essentially make a 'drum loop.' 


They would then 'pass it on' to their contemporaries.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Breaks_and_Beats


And the rest is history!
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This short documentary on the changes in Video Game music -


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00yj887


Even if a game features next-gen graphics that lavishly emulate realistic worlds and people, without sound it fails to immerse us. 

“Films are 50 percent visual and 50 percent sound. Sometimes sound even overplays the visual.” 

– David Lynch, Director

This is equally true of video games. 
As we can only experience these new worlds with 3 of our 5 senses (Touch, Sight, Sound) it is 
important that they are each considered at the least an equal amount of detail. 


Decades ago the sound was always added last in the development of a game. 
Now it has the benefit of being woven into the art direction of the production pipeline to enhance that development. As games have become more sophisticated the standard of audio has evolved to compliment that change.


Sound heightens our experience. It can actually cause fear, joy, loss and tension so thick you can barely creep around the next corridor. 

"I can see the sounds!"

And more importantly it helps tell a story. 
If the player is becoming anxious or stressed in-game we hear sound cues in the form of an elevated heart beat or even ragged breaths. In some cases the ambient sounds around the player are perceived differently, almost washed out. To give the impression that you might be slipping away yourself, unless you pull your act together! 


Dark Sector developed by Digital Extremes had some good sound cues - 

Some of the creatures you encountered sounded extremely creepy. They weren't exactly tough but you certainly felt like keeping your distance.


I sometimes find that the sounds for whomever you are controlling can have a distinctly more powerful feel to them than your opposition. I expect this is to empower the player, to make them feel like they are a force to be reckoned with. 
Which is a desire that a lot of people must need and want to be fulfilled. 




LIMBO developed by Playdead presents a great experience for any gamer. 

Singularity by Raven Software had some really creepy monsters. 


Listen to this -


Singularity - Zek Sounds from Raven Software on Vimeo.


And this -  


Singularity - Crank It Up! - Un-Squashed Version from Raven Software on Vimeo.






Here we have a video of the Sony Music team working alongside virtuoso sound designer 

Amon Tobin to create the musical score for Sucker Punch Productions 2009 game inFamous.

Amon Tobin is also responsible for the gripping soundtrack to Ubisoft Montreals' Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory in 2004.
http://splintercell.wikia.com/wiki/Amon_Tobin

This game features a highly dynamic score that is affected in real-time depending on the level of action and plot developments. 

Audio and Scores for games are now handled with the same design principles as with the film industry.
Musicians create lavish and beautiful sound-scapes that epitomize the levels we all know and love. 
On top of that the audio is dynamic and adaptive. 
It rewards you or chastises you if you do something wrong. It changes pace and tempo depending on how you navigate around the game itself. Which is an incredible feat to layer so much content on eventuality. 


As another 'achievement unlocked' video game soundtracks are now entered in prestigious award ceremonies such as the BAFTAS and the GRAMMYS.

Here are a few composers I know of - 


Hans Zimmer - Crysis 2: Intro, Call Of Duty 2: Modern Warfare - Opening Titles.
(And so many amazing film scores)


Greg Edmonson - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. (And he also scored for the sorely missed TV show Firefly)


Jack Wall - Mass Effect, Mass Effect II.


Norman Corbeil - Heavy Rain. 


Petri Alanko - Alan wake.  


Russell Shaw - Fable, Fable II, Fable III. 




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Just to overemphasize the scale and drama of the sort of compositions we enjoy at home, check out when The London Philharmonic Orchestra gets a hold of them - 

Dead Space: Welcome Aboard The U.S.G. Ishimura - The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Skeet.

Bioshock: The Ocean On His Shoulders - The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Skeet.




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Nostalgia time!


Here is my first favourite video game theme song - Shadow of the Beast II (Amiga)

Followed by Robocop (C64)

Incidentally I remember a few years later hearing this theme used for a washing machine advert.
(I just found it on youtube)


Then we have Switch Blade (C64)

I can't forget SWIV (Commodore Amiga) 

Oh my God - Midnight Resistance (C64) 

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As games become more cinematic and film becomes more like an interactive experience (3D, IMAX) the potential for creating an 'interactive motion picture ride' seems like a real possibility. With the advent of adaptive sound technology that literally follows you around, the level of immersion can only be increased. 

We'll just have to wait and see, I mean hear ;)

Game Engines

A compilation of familiar game engines. 

A showcase of Unreal Engine 3.

'The Samaritan' a short demo of the capabilities of the current Unreal Engine 3.

The full CryEngine 3 Showcase Video


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Having only ever used Epic's - UDK Editor at this stage, my knowledge of the various other Game Engines and Editors is fairly limited. 


However, having the briefest of introductions to the new Crytek game engine CryEngine 3, 
I can already see an enormous difference between the two. 

CryEngine 3 features CryEngine Live Create which enables developers to make real-time changes to their levels in the editor that are visible in-game. 
You can see the changes take place simultaneously! 


http://mycryengine.com/index.php?conid=53


Unlike UDK, which depending on your level, could take 2 hours to rebuild your lighting if you decided to move a coffee cup. (Groan)


Apparently by synching 3Ds Max or Maya to the CryEngine 3 Sandbox Editor you can update your assets in a matter of seconds. Which is truly remarkable.


This is a very attractive piece of software and I would be very interested in getting my hands on it in the near future. 




(some pics of Crysis 2- (2011)

http://mycryengine.com/index.php?conid=1




That said, UDK is still an amazing piece of software in it's own regard. 

http://www.unrealengine.com/features




We have this engine to thank for a wealth of great games (this is just UE 3)


Batman: Arkham Asylum - Rocksteady Studios (2009)
Batman: Arkham City - Rocksteady Studios (2011)
Borderlands - Gearbox Software (2009)
Enslaved: Odyssey To The West - Ninja Theory (2010)
Lost Odyssey - Mistwalker (2007)
Mass Effect 1,2,3 - Bioware (2006 - 2012)
Mirror's Edge - DICE (2008) 
Shadow Complex - Chair Entertainment (2009)
Shadows of The Damned - Grasshopper Manufacture (2011)
Silent Hill: Downpour - Vatra Games (2011) 
Singularity - Raven Software (2010)
Transformers: War For Cybertron - High Moon Studios (2010) 

Shadows of The Damned pics -

I swear this guy .......dropped out of her!

He's properly dead now!

And of course Zumba Fitness - Pipeworks software (2010) 
Which has sailed past the £6 million mark in sales. And there are more to come apparently.

A reviewer of this game wrote that - 


                        - "Surely everyone who wants the game now has a copy?" 
                                                                              - Tom Philips, www.eurogamer.net


This statement made me laugh. :)

Yep........ZUMBA! 

And not to be forgotten the Gears of War series developed by Epic themselves (2006 - 2011)

Infinity Blade - Chair Entertainment (2010) should also be worth a mention as it is Epic's first Unreal Engine 3 iOS game. 


And for a mobile game, it looks damn good! (Makes me wish I had an iPhone)

It made $1.6 million in four days. Making it the fastest growing App in iOS history.
Nearly a year after, Infinity Blade had generated another $21.4 million in revenue. 
Which is astonishing. Hardly surprising there is an Infinity Blade 2 out now. 

Bethesda developed the Creation Engine to help make their award winning fifth instalment of The Elder Scrolls - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Creation Engine is made up of Havok, Radiant AI, and the Gamebryo game engine, which allows users to tailor it's needs to fit specific needs of a developer. 


In early 2012 Bethesda released the Creation Kit for Skyrim on Steam.


http://www.creationkit.com/ 


Now modders and fans of their recent IP can make user-generated content. 
Where it can be shared with the world via Steam and their favourite mod sites. 


Now there's a company that really gives back to their customers. 


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The Source Engine developed by Valve Corporation makes even better use of the Steam community by distributing updates and new engine builds via its users. 

http://source.valvesoftware.com/

From what I can gather the general opinion about the Source Engine is that it handles physics exceptionally well but is a bit outdated in other aspects, requiring a lot of text editor scripting to affect performance.


It is noted for featuring a very capable facial animation system - 


http://www.tf2.com/movies.php 

Having read the overview on Valve's website I have to say it sounds like an impressive piece of kit. 
It both looks and plays as well as any other engine that I have discussed here. 
I think it comes down to personal preference in this case. 


People have their favourites. And always will. 
It's like asking a comic book reader 


"Who's better, Marvel or DC?"


And then the great debate begins. 


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Quantic Dream's new engine brings to life - KARA 


This demo is apparently a year old and the features of this engine have been increased by 50 percent. I can't wait to see what they've cooked up.


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I've just added a few interesting videos regarding advancements in blurring the line between Visual FX and Video Games.

Welcome to the 'Uncanny Valley'