Animating

Credits:

Ellen Kean - Stitch's Voice, Animation, storyboard, character design, Sound

Richard Mills - Georges voice, sound effects

David Whelan - The Wizards voice

This video is the final animatic, with some animation. Animating takes me a LOT longer than I was originally anticipating  and unfortunately throughout my time at BCU I have never been able to get over the habit of biting off more than I can chew! However, for the parts that have been animated I am fairly pleased and have enjoyed most of it!

For my submission I decided to focus on the concept document and the artwork this entails, as this show my practice more so than a completed animation. For the degree show this animation will be finished, considering I can focus solely on the film from this point! (Animation will be completed in greyscale/black and white)

Animation is done using PENCIL:
http://www.pencil-animation.org/

This free software has been a wonderful tool, for those looking to really get a drawn feel to there animated work! Compositing done in after effects!

For the future, when I want to animate, and to develop my animation skills I will experiment with short films (maybe just 30 seconds long) so as to get some nice finished looking pieces. I chose Pencil for its frame by frame animating style, though I understand flash works in the same way, with more features for animating! So will attempt to use flash once again in the future.

Storyboarding - Creative Animations

For a project I was assigned by a company, specialising in explainer videos for businesses, I was asked to complete a storyboard for their client. Below is the animatic for how this turned out!

Concept art

Concept for the first level, where we learn more about Stitch, her abilities and her personality!

 An important aspect to any game design design document is the conceptual art, giving the producers and animators a visual reference for how the final game and animations would look, including lighting, colour, composition and mood!

Stitch just can't lose Shadow, no matter how hard she tries!

Stitch meets a dog! Another start for a level in the game

Mason the dark Wizard casts a spell! Final battle at the end of the game!

Story boards - Scene two - Meeting Shadow

These images make up the visual sequence for the second cut scene, after Stitch/ the player completes the first level of the game!

Rain starts to fall, forcing Stitch to come back home!

Stitch jumps in through the window, in a much better mood, miaowing for attention!

She is ignored, and sees the wizard walking towards the fireplace.

"Whats going on?  Why you all ignoring me?" Stitch says, annoyed again!

"Ah! Stitch! You're back! Thought you was gone for good! I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Good to see you old friend!" George says, slightly sarcastically

"Ha! Could've fooled me! Why is the wizard ignoring me? I came back! What more could he ask for? Stitch moans, as she trots over to the wizard.

"Miaow"

"Ah Stitch! There you are! Come and have a look at this! Somebody dropped it off earlier, though I have no idea who!"

The wizard shows an excited Stitch whats inside the box he has been paying close attention to.

Stitch is puzzled for a moment

Then the small lump, wrapped up inside, opens an eye to look at her!

Stitch is slightly taken aback that the thing is moving and looking at her!

On seeing Stitch, the little kitten inside the box paws the air to reach her!

Quickly, the wizard pulls her off the kitten!

"OI! Stitch! Now BEHAVE! This little one needs our help, and I expect you  to take good care of her!"

"Now then..."

"...Why don't we try this again, ay?"

"Stitch, George. This little ones home is with us now!"

"I want you both to look out for her! She's family now!"

"Hmmph", says Stitch

End scene two

Game Maps

I started looking at various maps for games, as this is usually a key aspect to most games and game-play, allowing players to navigate around the game!

Some examples below:

Key features to include are, labels on the areas, which may appear once an area is discovered, compass direction and the name of the entire area! Obstacles may also appear on the map!

So using the references I found, I chose to keep the map in a typical style you might see in Retro, 2D RPG games. These typical features include:

• Basic, easy to read text, labelling areas (white with black outline)
• Flattened/sideview of terrain, as opposed to relief map
• COMPASS
• Area/world name (in the corner of the map)

This map is a rough concept, and could be changed, depending on the final style of the game! I had decided parchment and scroll aesthetic would be most sutiable for the type of game being created here. I.e. Magical, RPG fantasy!

Animatic - Visual/Sound Development

Video clip shows developed animatic, with proper sound.

The conversation is more visually interesting, with one or two visual jokes, and characteristics of the animals i.e. hissing and swiping at each other.


As part of the L5's practice, I was offered assistance with this project! Many thanks to James Nesbit, who also helped with the development of the story, including meeting shadow:

Marketability

One of the aspects to consider when constructing a concept document for a game, is the way it could be marketed/distributed.

Most successful RPG's have been on a games console, and distributed via disc, or more recently cloud. However, it would a mobile game, so the game would probably be distibuted as an app for mobile devices.

For an RPG app I have paid up to £1.99 for a retro RPG game (Simon the Sorceror)

This is an old PC adventure game, that has been adapted for mobile device, so already had an audience that play this game. Though it is an established game, I do believe a new RPG, like the one I am proposing, could be marketed and sold at a similar price, perhaps offering a free version of the game, with the option to upgrade to the full game.

However, this is simply one option, and I believe the most successful mobile games on the current market are FREE games, that give players the option to buy items/points/game assets to gain an advantage within the game, similar to toher successful games such as the social app game Kingdoms of Camelot:

The game is marketed as a free game and has been so successful that it has branched into popular franchises, such as lord of the rings. 

Another successful game that is marketed as a free game with the option to purchase game assets is 'Dragonvale'.

 One set back with marketing a game in this way is that the game will need regular updates to ensure promotions or new features are correct and players who have purchase things before have new assets  available to them. Another point is that some players, enjoying the game would find they stop playing if the game play if too slow or boring, if they choose not purchase. 

I will be creating the front cover (a couple of designs for this) to be included in the document. The main thing is to create a document that could be compared to looking at the game on a shelf, (or 'virtual shelf) and be intriguing enough 

Story and game play

In my past research, I noted that RPG's were the most suited style if game play for a branching story line.

As a large part of my practice is story for games I have decided to use this style of game. This way the game can include a linear story line, with the option for side quests, secrets, extra items and areas in the game, that would 'fill out' the linear story line, and offer branching story lines, (similar to games that offer multiple endings on completing more of the game i.e. Silent Hill and Final Fantasy games) 

As you can see from the diagram, the player can progress through the game/story and be able to complete the game by following steps A to G in a basic, linear fashion, without the need for extensive exploration. However, the gameplay and branching story steps allow more playability to the game and offer extended story lines to the player. There is also a chance here for the player to receive multiple endings depending on the percentage of game completed!

Audience

I thought I might take a moment to reflect more on the audience for this style of game.

As described before, this will be an RPG in a Zelda style, with 2D traditional animated cut scenes. So this would suggested that the target audience is retro game players, and new gamers to Zelda or RPG games. 

The game play would be in 3D so as to step away from, what could be considered, an out-dated look, using the Unity 3D Univenture Camera/toolset. As gamers now seem to expect more from the graphics of a game, I feel this would be the most effective way to make the RPG more appealing in a modern market!

Also the game would be made playable for a mobile device (and at the start, if sold, would be purely a mobile game). 

The story itself is a family orientated story, so as to include older and younger players alike.

Creating an RPG game

Ths is a useful link for getting started in knowing which softwares, in particular freeware, can be used to create an RPG style game:
http://www.ehow.com/how_6827286_create-3d-rpg-game.html

In particular I have been looking at using a simple game maker known as RPGmaker:
http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/products/rpg-maker-xp

This image shows how the RPG maker XP looks, when creating the game!

This engine includes templates for level and characters, and could be used to create a retro, Zelda style of RPG.

However I came across an interesting addition that can be used with the free software, Unity 3D. Known as the UniVenture camera and toolset, this can be used to create a 3D game in a Zelda style. See link below to see more about the toolset:
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/101197-UniVenture-Camera-A-Zelda-Style-Camera-RELEASED

The video below is a clip showing how the camera works:


To try it out for yourself, visit the link below (need to download Unitys web player for this):
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/57249909/UniVentureTest/WebPlayer/WebPlayer.html

Story boards and Visual development for Animation

This storyboard highlights the relationship between the two main characters (the cats)

Concepts for scenes.

The story boards below is the first draft to the opening scene (cut scene) to the game.

The video clip is an animatic, narrated by myself, simply to get an idea of how the story would flow. Feedback so far has been the conversation between the snake and the cat needs to be more visually interesting, as it seems flat and boring. Things to include would be typical actions that a cat and snake would do, such as hissing at each other, or fighting.



  Also, one comment suggested was to not include the entire body of the snake in a frame. When looking at other animations of snakes (the Jungle Book, Aladdin etc.) The snakes body is never in full view. This was an interesting observation and when I put this into practice the results did seem to show an improvement to how the scene looked.

This jungle book clip is a great clip to see an effective animation, with a conversation between a cat and a snake! One other comment that was suggested was that the snakes head looked like it needed more definition from its body.


Most of my observations of corn snakes (which is the type of snake in the animation I am creating) has no definition whatsoever from its head to its body/neck. In fact its head is indeed smaller than its body. However, for the purposes of animation, I will exaggerate the shapes for the snakes head, in the character design, so that the drawings translate in a way that the audience feels looks right!

Pen Tool Photoshop

USING PEN TOOL TO CREATE LINES:

http://www.agavegroup.com/?p=68

SHORTCUTS:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4451736

Character Design and Story

The characters for the game are based on my own pets and  the story of their relationship.


Stitch is the main character/game protagonist in the story. A very beautiful and magically talented cat, she lives with her wizard, in a mill.

Known simply as 'The Wizard', he is a kind hearted, gentle soul, who lives and works at a water mill, providing the nearby village with water and energy. He also provides flour, which the baker comes and collects every week. Nobody knows exactly how old the wizard is, as he is a very private person, especially when it comes to his spell work! However, he enjoys having a good time once in a while, the stories he tells suggest he is much older than we realise!

George is a snake, who made his home at the mill 20 years ago. With Stitch being a lazy cat, and mice over running the mill, the wizard gives him a home, in the hope he and Stitch can control the mice together.

Shadow is the young kitten that arrives, unexpectedly at the wizards cottage, to much of Stitches annoyance. The catalyst to the games story. The first half of the game play, Shadow follows Stitch everywhere, allowing time for the audience to understand the cats relationship. In the second half of the game (when the map will open up) Shadow runs away, and Stitch is sent on a quest to retrieve the lost kitten. At the end, on completion of the game, the cats relationship is resolved!

Mason is a dark wizard, sworn enemy of The Wizard.  Long ago, the land had been divided, as Mason used his powers to try to suppress and control the lands and its inhabitants. In a mighty battle, Stitch and The Wizard defeated Mason, leaving nothing of him left!

Mason carried a staff, and anticipating the Wizards final blow, transformed all his magic power into the staff, which lies lost somewhere in time, saving only enough power to transform his being into a nearby snake. With his magic disappeared and his body lifeless, the wizard assumed victory, believing Masons tyranny was over once and for all!


Of course the story would be developed, along with the story boards, within a team, if the concept document was successful!