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Showing posts from 2017

Creating Action Scenes for Concept Art

Creating Action Scenes Concept Art Tutorial  After wrapping up my first fanart series on NieR:Automata ( catch it right here ), I would like to start a new walk-through series right here, on how I create action scenes for entertainment art. So, let's jump into it! Step 1: Reference and Thumbnails To start building a reference board, I use a free app called PureRef; it allows you to take any reference images that you like, and lay them out in an organized collage.  One thing to keep in mind when creating thumbnails, is it’s best to get as  many  ideas as you can down on paper. Don't be intimidated by that! There are no wrong ideas and it doesn't matter if it looks rudimentary at this stage.  When creating thumbnail sketches, think of what you want to see as the main focus of the scene; so, in this case, I want to have the main character 2B slashing a large machine – something inspired by an in-game screenshot. Now, with a rough sketch of b...

EA Play 2017 Announcements

EA Play 2017   Madden NFL 18 EA's presser kicked off with a  Madden 18 trailer showing off its new Longshot campaign mode. Alongside FIFA 18 and the newly-refreshed NBA LIVE 18 , this looks to be a step in the right direction for the Madden NFL franchise - especially, in the last decade.  Watch the trailer Battlefield 1 -  Expansion  Battlefield 1 now has eight new maps, within its 'In the Name of the Tsar' expansion. This boasts new vehicles, weapons, the addition of a women's battalion and interestingly a new gameplay mode based off of player feedback, was teased. More about that will shared in August, at Gamescom. FIFA 18  The official trailer for FIFA 18 was shown, alongside a video of Cristiano Ronaldo performing motion capture. EA announced the return of Alex Hunter in the campaign mode. A Nintendo Switch version will also be released, although a 'lesser product' than the mainstream next-gen release. Watch the trailer Need for ...

Time Manipulation in Game Design

Time Manipulation in Games Introduction The gameplay mechanic that I wish I had come up with first, is Time Manipulation. This is includes the concept of time dilation and the reversal of time in games. Implementing the Manipulation of Time Time manipulation is a robust mechanic. It involves non-exploitable time manipulation, with the goal of being fast and smooth, while not computationally-taxing on memory or hardware resources. The best way to implement this mechanic can be seen in Braid - an indie platform and puzzle game, developed by Number None, Inc. In this game, the world state is recorded for every frame, where the data is stored and compressed. With the recorded frames, any changing entities are extracted and mixed into the final state, which can be manipulated or rewound by the player. The player’s position is recorded and other properties such as color and rotation are stored as an integer that can be reconstructed, along with time information taken fro...

What Went Wrong With ME Andromeda's Facial Animations

It's in the Eyes The human iris has a natural in half-moon shape, with the upper eyelids covering nearly half of the iris. In Mass Effect Andromeda, the characters' irises are dead in the center of their eyes, with the upper lids way too high for it to look anything but unnerving. To top it off, most of the characters' eyes are far too wide and the lower lids are way too low - which only adds to the creepiness factor - especially during a lengthy conversation. Characters like Addison, have faces that simply look frozen in shock. The characters in Andromeda, also have extremely prominent pupils; and to top it off, their eyes constantly dart about unnaturally. This not in regular saccades like we do when looking back and forth between subjects. Coupled with very wide eyes, this looks downright terrifying. Horrendous Facial Expressions To make matters worse, the mouths of many characters in Andromeda...

CoD Advanced Warfare - 7 Things That Don't Make ANY Sense

Plot (*SPOILERS) In 2054, Jack Mitchell, a new recruit in the U.S. Marine Corps, along with his best friend Will Irons, are deployed to Seoul. The assignment is an effort to repel North Korean forces from advancing into South Korea. They mission is a success, but at the cost of 6000 marines’ lives, including Will’s own from an explosion that severed Mitchell’s left arm. He is later recruited into Atlas, a private military corporation, by Will’s father Jeremy Irons. He receives a mechanically-advanced prosthetic arm to stop the KVA, an anti-western terrorist organization, from launching multiple terrorist attacks on North American nuclear reactors. After killing its leader Hades, it turns out the Atlas CEO Irons’ intentions were corrupt all along and he declares war on all world governments. Instead of the peace and security that was Atlas’ illusory purpose, Irons stands for total domination, as the only standing political power. Atlas later develops Manticore, a biological age...

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex Review - Part 3

FORZA MOTORSPORT 6: APEX Favorite Gameplay Component My favorite gameplay component of Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is altering and tailoring my driving style to the conditions of the race. If ever I attempt to reach top-speed on a wet track such as Brands Hatch United Kingdom, the vehicle spins off track and out of control. That’s a challenge for me, as my strategy isn’t so much into drifting, but in staying as straight as possible, so that I can reach over to 200 km/h -- keeping within a controllable limit. Another method of mine I had to retire -- and this is coming from the likes of Asphalt 6: Airborne and Mario Kart Double Dash - - which is ramming into players. I quickly found out in a vehicle simulator under the laws of natural physics, this reduces my speed on impact. There are also frequent bottlenecks at turning points in the track; luckily I can use my best strategy and I find this to be the best opportunity to strategically slip past other cars when an opening ...

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex Review - Part 2

FORZA MOTORSPORT 6: APEX Game Modes and Scenarios In Rival races, the player goes against a racer’s ghost driver in a one-on-one challenge. The game also includes Multiplayer lobbies, full matchmaking facilities and a new League system. Leagues are special multiplayer divisions that will group you with players that have a similar skillset to yours -- and the more you races in these Leagues, the better the player’s standing will be; and as their skillset improves, they will be able to access higher-level League types. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex sports many Special event types like Top Gear bowling, Autocross or Overtaking challenges. There are also a wide variety of event types to participate in, many are optional, but in completing them players can challenge themselves and reap additional XP and rewards. In Forza , the player has a chance of winning a car with each level earned. Upon gaining a level, the player is presented with a prize board and a randomly moving cursor. Hitt...

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex Review - Part 1

FORZA MOTORSPORT 6: APEX VEHICLE SIMULATION MECHANICS Welcome to Motorsport 6 With Horizon being Forza’ s more relaxed, open-world version of the franchise, this entry of into the famed Motorsport series retains its true focus on circuit racing. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex boasts stunning visuals, accompanied by fantastic audio design and a wealth of top-tier unlockable vehicles. The game shines in competitive multiplayer and riveting races; and in short it’s arguably the most realistic racing game available on the Windows Store -- graphically and mechanically. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex sports real-world weather conditions, temperature and in changes day/night cycles that heavily influence the race with every turn; coupled with true physics and in-depth finetuning for advanced vehicle performance. UI and HUD The UI of Forza Motorsport 6 is very clean and concise. It is user-friendly and easy to navigate for newcomers. It is within the menu before entering a race, ...

Where to Find Inspiration to Enhance Creativity

The literal meaning of Inspiration is ‘breathed upon' Every moment, the brain is by nature forming new associations, continually attaching an everyday x to an unexpected y . All great artists and thinkers are workers; tenacious not only in inventing, but also in ordering, sifting, rejecting, and transforming ideas. Just because something cannot be immediately solved — or simplified to base laws of real-world physics — does not inherently mean it isn’t tangible. When we go beyond the very edge of our knowledge, is where we find art. The Latin verb  cogito  means 'to think' and St. Augustine had observed that the Latin  intelligo  in fact means ‘to select among.’ To have an idea is to generate new combinations and thought patterns, wholly dependent on the ability to see relationships between different elements at work. Finding Your Inspiration  While an idea is being produced, you can become inspired if you temporarily ce...