Prissy Little Chloe

Michelangelo  di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni and  Leonardo da Vinci  brought forth an unparalleled shift in the development of Western art. They are two artists who irrefutably produced two Renaissance wonders: Michelangelo's David and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Centuries later, they remain as the two most renowned artistic creations in the world.  Seeming to be as though reflected opposites of one another – the woman who sits smiling and the man who stands grimacing. Said to be no coincidence, as they were created around the same time (between 1501-1506), in the same city of Florence, by artists who were each other's direct rivals. Michelangelo Famous work:  David   Over time, it became the artist's habit to leave behind on his work marks of the chisel; straining actions that were fossilized in the chipped, unpolished surface of the marble; while his other works boast smooth, lifelike limbs or anguished faces envisioned from pillars...

The Four Stages of the Creative Process Preparation — the creative problem is investigated in all directions and in the process, related intellectual elements are referenced — out of which new ideas for a possible solution can be formulated. In this stage, the ideas are arranged to form the best course of action to reach a point of resolution; which is also done by seeking patterns in solutions that may have worked in past experiences. That point of divining plausible solutions is called Incubation .  2. Incubation — In this case, the subconscious mind is the incubator; and there are two primary forms of this voluntary abstention from more conscious work: the first of which is putting one’s conscious mental work into effect on another problem; the second is to put oneself into a relaxation state, at a distance from all conscious mental work. The former form of Incubation economizes time, and is therefore often preferred in the problem solving process.  It i...

UI Initially UI was displaced on the right-hand corner of the screen -– which in effect shifted the player’s focus from the task at hand to check the next action necessary. This was switched to the much more intuitive 3D icons we see in Quantic Dream games today. These icons are transparent, so they keep that unobtrusive element, while changing in movement and position within the context of the situation. For example, the icons pop up when the character moves and turns near an interactive object, such as to pick up a letter on the floor. This gives the player freedom to choose which actions to perform, while challenging them to have a keen eye for locating objects (e.g. evidence) in a scene. The button prompts also change order in a queue formation when buttons are held down in sequence and begin to jitter as the situations becomes more intense (like the characters’ thoughts when the left trigger is held down.) There is also not HUD, allowing for total player immersion. Co...

Production Casting There were 14 casting sessions; 457 actors auditioned — 90 of them were selected and every person was entirely facial-captured during production. The director chose this method to more accurately and precisely record the subtle nuances of expression, to best convey the emotional weight of each of the characters’ intentions. There were over 172 days of mocap shooting — creating over 30,000 unique animations for Heavy Rain . “We were not just looking for someone to give his [or her] face or his [or her] voice, but we were really looking for the full actor.” — David Cage Before capturing the performance, the actor’s face and body is 3d scanned — keeping their same body type, height and proportions. Actors must deliver a natural performance in the context of a player making choices. For instance, in the second chapter the player can choose Ethan to be a responsible or withdrawn father. Either way remains true to the character * Z Brush was used ...

Gameplay “Heavy Rain is a very dark thriller; it’s an experience that I think for the first time is going to put gamers into very different emotional states … I think it’s going to demonstrate that emotion is the key to any entertainment form.” — Guillaume De Fondaumiere Fun Fact: There is a sheet inside the disk case players can fold into an origami figure (instructions on screen), during the 4GB game download. ARI - Added Reality Interface ARI is agent Norman Jayden’s FBI augmented reality interface accessed through his glasses and interacted with by his glove. It’s not only very cool but  highly useful in game; clues are scanned and highlighted through ARI by pressing the RB as the player searches. ARI also acts as an inventory system of files, clues and evidence found by the player can be compiled and clues can be put together. “This … this is my office?” ARI also allows the user to customize their view, choosing any theme from underwater, to no a...

Player Choices Bear Consequence There are multiple ways a scene can play out depending on the player’s past choices and those specifically made in that scene. storytelling, branching structure, dramatic tension, the hero’s journey (heroic quest) Players can get answers through dialogue choices and explore observations (and objectives) through a character’s thoughts. There is direct player control — with no specific run action. Most of the time, players won’t run indoors. Running is automatic during gameplay, to fit the emotional direction of the scene. Win or Lose There is no way to “lose” the game per se; only unfavorable events unfold, (i.e. characters die) or the player’s search is impeded (evidence is lost, players never meet important characters or situations to gather evidence.) There are many scenes where the main characters can die in different ways at several points in the game; the game continues, but circumstances are heavily affected. For exa...

10 Best Boss Battles of the God of War Trilogy Hades In the underworld of God of War III , Kratos must fight against Hades and his summoned legions of the dead. When Kratos finally confronts Hades, he must use the chains from his Blades of Chaos to rip the god’s soul from his body. Colossus of Rhodes In God of War II , the Colossus of Rhodes is a statue of the sun god Helios, brought to life when Zeus transfers some of Kratos’ power into it. The player must fight through the city of Rhodes to confront the Colossus head-on and pierce through it to destroy it from the inside out. This serves as good preparation for the player to face increasingly difficult bosses later on in the game. Poseidon In God of War III , when Kratos climbs up to Mount Olympus on the titan Gaia, he has another force to contend with. Kratos battles against the water steeds of the god Poseidon on the surface of Gaia’s body. Frustrated she weakens Poseidon and pulls...

Under Pressure In my experience, the most difficult button combination sequence in the game is when Norman Jayden must bring in a suspect for questioning, who goes by the name of Mad Jack. Jackson is said to have sold a used car to the Origami Killer and presumably has information on the killer identity or alias. When Jayden finds traces of human blood and orchid pollen, he tries to arrest Jack on the spot. He resists the arrest and goes to Kill Jayden — which he can if the player is not quick enough during the intense fight sequence. If Jayden survives the attack and beats Mad Jack, he concedes and Jayden proceeds with the arrest. It’s then Jayden’s nose begins to bleed, his eyes begin twitching and his hands start shaking uncontrollably in the middle of the arrest. To resist feeding his addiction to a drug called triptocaine, the player must hold down a series of buttons to stop his hands from shaking and the weakness from his symptoms of withdrawal. If the playe...