Good points: Student interaction on the course is helping me to get to grips with my work. People like Mitch helping me with my digital art and Guy helping me with my 3d as well as the others <3. I like the feedback from the lecturers its helped a lot. King us out to gather reference material and experience and encouraging us to go out on our own helped improve my work. The general timetable is reasonable.
Bad points(T_T): We could do with A3 scanners and printers in our labs. We could do with more general equipment in the labs, and not to be thrown out for the animation classes. Could have done with a wider variety of emotion in films (instead of the depressing ones).
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Week 22: GDC
My portion: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD09/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=9092
There may not be a lot to write on this but I thought it would be an awesome thing to see. Mirrors edge is a new type of game and the innovative things they say they have come up with in tackling this game would be interesting to know. Also it demonstrates a creative use of rigging and a solution to some rather obscure yet difficult problems in game design. The movement system also would be cool to get a look at.
There may not be a lot to write on this but I thought it would be an awesome thing to see. Mirrors edge is a new type of game and the innovative things they say they have come up with in tackling this game would be interesting to know. Also it demonstrates a creative use of rigging and a solution to some rather obscure yet difficult problems in game design. The movement system also would be cool to get a look at.
Week 21: Reflections
In the beginning (life story...), me and some friends from school thought to make a game in the future. My role was the game artist (role playing dream :P) and I would be designing characters and landscapes. Going through college we split up and the dream fell through. Now that I am here at uni. I don’t know what I want from the future. But I do know that I want to do art and that game art is a lot more fun than fine art or any other art for that matter. I’ve not put much thought into what I want to do after uni. But I hope to learn more throughout the years I am here and hope to work with some of the people I know. I think the best way to decide what I am going to do is wait till I get there. Mainly due to the fact that I don’t know what skills I will develop the most over my time here. In one of the lectures mike mentioned that if we had dreams then we should go for them. For drifters this isn’t helpful but I thought about it for ages (and got very frustrated) but still couldn’t think of anything to aim for. So as for dreams and the future we shall wait and see as for now I think I shall carry on working hard and enjoying my time here.
Week 20: creativity
Creativity is a wandering mind and experiences. If you can find yourself an idea that grabs your attention be it old or new or any idea for that matter scribble it down. Creativity isn’t just about art, its everything. What changes the idea from a thought into matter? Motivation, duty, accident? E.g. why idea of light bulb become invention of light bulb? Just to see in dark? Or something more? Everything you look at is someone’s brain child. Everything you listen to and everything you do is someone’s inspired idea. Things like bricks and engines and spaceships. Creativity lives in everyone and how they express it is due to how the environment they were brought up in shaped their ideas and the motivation to excel in what they do. There is no such thing as an original creation, just an inspired take on an existing thing. Things which may seem original like planes and wheels and cars all emulate nature or earlier creations to some degree. Take everything you know stick it in a jar and shake it up. Throw in everything you have ever felt, heard, touched, experienced. Mix it all up in a cauldron under a full moon on the solstice and see what comes out!
The greatest creations are usually carried out by people other than the person whose idea it was, for instance look at things like the SHC(super hadron collider) at Cern that could only have been brought about by many other people hard work. To be truly creative then you must never get bogged down on anything! You must be open to the universe and new ideas. The usual idea of a creative person is someone who thinks of 1000 ideas a day and forgets them just as quick. The reality is similar it’s the creative persons implementers that bring their creativity to life. Sometimes this is the person themselves. Other times like in most instances it’s more talented or skilled individuals that bring out this creativeness, but this also leads to a mixing in of their own ideas making it something more than it began as. A good example of this is games and movies, or architecture, or government policies, or a bank robbery. Where someone else’s idea is brought to life by others. There are those that say that creativity is borne of insanity, and those who believe it is a way that people express the way they perceive an idea or concept.
Creativity is an individual trait; it’s something inherent in all of us but emerges in different ways. From the man who murders hundreds of people and cut them to pieces (gruesome but has happened, leading to the question of the dangerous of creativity unchecked) to Picasso or Da Vinci. But what made these men great artists? Why is their work held in such awe over others?
The other side of the creative coin is curiosity. What happens when people think what if? What if I route the power through the relays this way? (They explode) What happens if I connect this to this instead? (Fork in the toaster) Or if I mix paints in this way, (Hey look! Brown!) or change code like this, (403 Out of cheese error!) or word it like this?
People talk about thinking outside the box making you creative. But in doing that all you do is create a new box for yourself separate to other people.
The greatest creations are usually carried out by people other than the person whose idea it was, for instance look at things like the SHC(super hadron collider) at Cern that could only have been brought about by many other people hard work. To be truly creative then you must never get bogged down on anything! You must be open to the universe and new ideas. The usual idea of a creative person is someone who thinks of 1000 ideas a day and forgets them just as quick. The reality is similar it’s the creative persons implementers that bring their creativity to life. Sometimes this is the person themselves. Other times like in most instances it’s more talented or skilled individuals that bring out this creativeness, but this also leads to a mixing in of their own ideas making it something more than it began as. A good example of this is games and movies, or architecture, or government policies, or a bank robbery. Where someone else’s idea is brought to life by others. There are those that say that creativity is borne of insanity, and those who believe it is a way that people express the way they perceive an idea or concept.
Creativity is an individual trait; it’s something inherent in all of us but emerges in different ways. From the man who murders hundreds of people and cut them to pieces (gruesome but has happened, leading to the question of the dangerous of creativity unchecked) to Picasso or Da Vinci. But what made these men great artists? Why is their work held in such awe over others?
The other side of the creative coin is curiosity. What happens when people think what if? What if I route the power through the relays this way? (They explode) What happens if I connect this to this instead? (Fork in the toaster) Or if I mix paints in this way, (Hey look! Brown!) or change code like this, (403 Out of cheese error!) or word it like this?
People talk about thinking outside the box making you creative. But in doing that all you do is create a new box for yourself separate to other people.
Week 19: the finite balance
Limited creativity versus limited technical skill. The finite balance is a war waged between the highly skilled graduates and the highly imaginative creationists. Game orientated educators have the problem of creating courses which can teach technical skill without extinguishing the students own style and creativity. Focusing on one topic namely their artworks technical aspects can get the students hung up on the little things and kill their styles. The major problems that arise are because of this. The finite balance must be reached to encourage growth and development as an artist but still leave them enjoying creating their artwork. The other problem faced is that too long on a particular piece that they are asked to do can make them become unmotivated. A better approach may be to guide them towards creating their own projects based around what is being taught at the time.
The solution! The students need to be encouraged to play games from all areas not just electronic and encouraged to redesign aspects from it according to their own style. They need to have many motivational workshops! Workshops which will inspire them to further develop their talents, these should also include going out and trying many things how else can they get a better grasp on say running through a forest or rock climbing if they have never done it? Open projects which include a list of requirements but of which the subject is open for them to decide. Once the skills have been developed then set projects can be introduced. As everyone knows that it’s easier to learn things whilst doing something you enjoy.
Enough ranting for now I think.
The solution! The students need to be encouraged to play games from all areas not just electronic and encouraged to redesign aspects from it according to their own style. They need to have many motivational workshops! Workshops which will inspire them to further develop their talents, these should also include going out and trying many things how else can they get a better grasp on say running through a forest or rock climbing if they have never done it? Open projects which include a list of requirements but of which the subject is open for them to decide. Once the skills have been developed then set projects can be introduced. As everyone knows that it’s easier to learn things whilst doing something you enjoy.
Enough ranting for now I think.
Week 18: sound
Sound is emotion! Even when the gamer is unaware of it the soundtrack of a game is shaping his play, in times of quiet the music is peaceful, when the action picks up so does the music. For example in halo: combat evolved, as you make that final run to the pelican drop-ship the music is playing full blast until that final crescendo when it goes to the end cut scene. Looking to key composers some of the greatest are from the east, Nobuo Uematsu (final fantasy), and Hideki Naganuma (jet set radio future), and the west’s Martin O’Donnell(halo: combat evolved). Their works have lead many gamers to inadvertently enjoy games more than they would normally expect.
Some important points in my sonic game history, hmm, they would have to be the victory music from final fantasy vii, the end music of halo, and the sound track of jet set radio future. Many, many hours have been wasted on those games intricacies.
But of course! Sound is not limited to just music, looking at games like left 4 dead where you learn quickly to listen out for the sounds that enemies make so as to avoid as much trouble as possible. Cause let’s face it if you have a huge scary looking enemy running at you shouting “Cheerio pip pip and what not” your reason for shooting it is kinda different, it also detracts from the overall gameplay.
Some important points in my sonic game history, hmm, they would have to be the victory music from final fantasy vii, the end music of halo, and the sound track of jet set radio future. Many, many hours have been wasted on those games intricacies.
But of course! Sound is not limited to just music, looking at games like left 4 dead where you learn quickly to listen out for the sounds that enemies make so as to avoid as much trouble as possible. Cause let’s face it if you have a huge scary looking enemy running at you shouting “Cheerio pip pip and what not” your reason for shooting it is kinda different, it also detracts from the overall gameplay.
Week 17: game tech: engines.
A game engine is usually defined as the code skeleton which has been made to render everything you see and interact with on the screen. The fun stuff! Subtractive versus additive. Subtractive has the method of infinite solid. By this it means you have basically a huge block which goes on forever and you cut out the bits you want to work in. This can also be used as an additive type, in that you can cut out a large cube to create an artificial void.
Additive begins as all good things do with nothingness. This is called the void, with additive you fill the void! (and people say doctors are playing God), first you need to create a container for what you want usually a large hollow cube. Holes into the void are called leaks, as the void leaks in. Advantages and disadvantages of buying proprietary! Advantages: There is a guarantee as to what you get to work with, they usually have most bases covered, it has a market standard of capabilities, the debugging has already taken place, and finally it comes with its own built in handling for every instance, also cheaper time-wise. Disadvantages: it’s not customisable, you are stuck using what is provided by the engine so you can’t add your own physics, costs a large amount of money, requires understanding of the game engine.
Additive begins as all good things do with nothingness. This is called the void, with additive you fill the void! (and people say doctors are playing God), first you need to create a container for what you want usually a large hollow cube. Holes into the void are called leaks, as the void leaks in. Advantages and disadvantages of buying proprietary! Advantages: There is a guarantee as to what you get to work with, they usually have most bases covered, it has a market standard of capabilities, the debugging has already taken place, and finally it comes with its own built in handling for every instance, also cheaper time-wise. Disadvantages: it’s not customisable, you are stuck using what is provided by the engine so you can’t add your own physics, costs a large amount of money, requires understanding of the game engine.
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