Blatant Insanity

Game Art Stuffs

2008-11-27T05:35:00.001-08:00

Graphics are the most important selling feature of a game
It's easier to market and successfully sell a game with good graphics, although long term sustained sales are usually dependent on the actual gameplay.
Visuals are a strong marketing tool
Note that graphics are SECONDARY to a good story and a fun game.
**

Consider NEWTON'S LAWS OF MOTION
- Every object has mass and will remain at its natural state of inertia unless a force is applied to move it.
- The greater an object's mass, the greater the force that it is required to move it
- Once and object is moving, it tends to keep on moving unless it is stopped by another object, or unless it is gradually brought to a halt by friction
In other words, artists must be able to portray the effects of weight and motion on their creations

*Overlapping Action*
    Break down the action of anything into two parts: starting and stopping. Issue: not all parts stop at the same time. (example of jumping girl wearing a skirt) EACH PART WILL FINALLY COME TO REST AT DIFFERENT TIMES
    feet on the ground -> body recoil -> hair + clothes settling
*Overshoot*
    Objects generally overshoot their mark before settling back into their final position.
    ex: bouncing
*Follow Through*
    Allow carry through of movement
    ex: golf: you don't stop your arm movement at exact point of impact with the golf club to the golf ball
*Squash and Stretch*
    Rubbery, elastic quality in movement
    Animation is the art of exxaggerating movement for dramatic and comic effect
    When an object hits something, it squashes. When it rises, it stretches
*Slow-in and Slow-out*
    Objects don't begin moving at full speed
    Concept of acceleration
    Consider gravity acting on the object
    Consider what feels natural on a specific object (i.e. you don't have to do this with everything)
    Not advisable for sharp movements
*Moving in Arcs*
    Parabolic curves
    i.e. throwing a ball -> there is a curvature
*Anticipation*
    To maximize the drama or comic effect, it's important to signal the audience that something is about to happen before it actually does happen
    ex: Jumping: get into a jumping position first before jumping
*Takes and Double Takes*
    take: reaction to a certain event
    ex:    Holding a hot surface
        holds (does not notice) -> looks -> bug eyes (reaction) -> action of response to the predicament (screams in pain)
    double take: two takes/ two looks; does not quite register the situation
    ex:    Sees beautiful girl.
        girl walks by (character sees but does not pay a lot of heed) -> exclamation -> action of response (looks back at the girl)
*Holds*
    Deliberate pauses in an action from dramatic effect
    Beware: Do NOT leave characters in a static position without even an eye blink or shift in position
*Force and Drag*
    Object connected to other objects via certain points
    ex: arms and legs
*Staging and Posing*
    Choreographing characters' actions so that their meaning is immediately clear to the viewer
    Guidelines from Larry Lauria (Disney animator)
    1. Posing involves mainly the key poses
    2. Exaggerate the line of action
    3. Look for strong silhouettes which express emotion
    4. Really push your drawings
    5. Look for secondary body elements to assist your posing (hair, hands, clothes, feet, etc)
*Straing Ahead Animation*
    Continued drawing from one pose to the desired pose
    Less advisable than pose to pose

Responive Objects
Rollovers: Changes when the cursor eters the "hotspot" that the object makes in the screen display
Buttons: Must be CLEARLY DISTINGUISHED

GIF Animations
    Can be continuous or loops only once
    256 colors (8-bit depth)
    A form of image-flipping animation where one image overlays another in turn
    Individual frames are displayed sequentially to create the illusion of movement

GAME ANIMATION
Programmer-Animated Objects VS Artist Animated Objects
    Why some of the animation must be done by the programmer
    - Aesthetic purposes
    - Memory conservation / Optimization
    Where do the actual animators come in?
    - Aids the programmer on how the animation for a specific object should be
    - Scripted animation (explosions, facial deformations, etc)
    - Bones

POSITIONS IN THE INDUSTRY
*Art/Creative Director*
    Highest position an artist can hold
    Final say on all artwork
    Allocation of artists to specific games
    Hiring or new artists
    Main art contact
    Decides what software to use/purchase
    Coordination with game designers
    Answers directly to the Managing Director
*Lead Artist*
    In-charge of all art staff on a specific project
    Deals with tasking
    Oversees quality
    Supports his underlings
*FMV/Cinematic Artist*
    Creates CG animation sequences; rendered or in-game cutscenes
    What you need to know: animation, high detail modeling, texturing, lighting, rendering, compositing, editing, character design, storyboarding, conceptual work
*Lead Animator/Animator*
    Specialize in creating lifelike, believable animations
    Basically does what a lead artist does, but concentrates on animation
    Note: good animators are VERY RARE
*3D Modeler*
    Does 3D modeling
    Note: Good 3D modelers know how to make the most from the least when it comes to TIGHT POLYGON BUDGETS
*Texture Artist*
    Works with the 3D modeler
    Needs an eye for detail
    Must be capable of creating seamless textures
*Concept Artist*
    Skilled in traditional art
    Works closely with the game designer
    Note: Usually only large developers have dedicated concept artists
*Level Designer/Mapper*
    Creates levels or environments in the game
    Note: A number of architects are being hired for this position
***

What must you consider?
- Art Constraints
    Is this doable? (can I model this many? this complex?)
    What type of art is needed? Is it 2D? 2.5D? 3D? Pixel art? Vector art?
    Channel?: RGB? CMYK? Grayscale?
    Size?: 300dpi? 800x600?
    Is it too colorful? too dull?
- Theme
    Specific color schemes?: Lots of green? No red?
    What is the essence of this thing? Key features? Is it dark? Is it bloody? Is it silly? Is it insane?
- Platform
-Type of Game
- Audience
    Who will play this game?
    What does the target audience want to see in the game? What would appeal most to them?
- Consistency
- Engine/System Constraints
    File Types? Should I use PNG instead of BMP?
    Think in the programmer's perspective
        programmer + artist coordination
        more successful game artists are not necessarily those who are very, very good, but those who can work well with the programmer (quoted from Anino)
- Scale of the Game
- Time
Be REALISTIC in a sense that an artist should know what he or she can do and finish given the specifications

Tips and Tricks
- Ripping animation from videos/pictures
- Bones
...dadagdagan pa ^_^

HELLOW

2008-11-17T03:09:00.001-08:00

ATLANTIC

~~TEXT TEXT TEXT~~

Flickr Tags: DOGS

All I need for Christmas…

2008-11-16T08:54:00.001-08:00

It’s nearing Christmas so I’m posting my wish list for the people who love me and can’t decide what to give me! Haha! YOU KNOW WHO YOU PEOPLE ARE!!!! Oh and I’m hoping that I’m still credible for that Santa bit since my little sister still doesn’t know that Santa ain’t real. Sorry for all the little kiddies who read that.

Aaaaanywhooooooo……I want theeeeeeeeeese!!!:

Buy me this bunny dress and I will love you forever!!!!

OMG they have something like this in Zara but there was no SMALL size!!! Arg!!! I was so ready to buy it ;_;

I stole the pics from eBay so yeah, all of that’s a product of my online window shopping. There are more but these are the ones that I really want. YES I AM VAIN!

Here are the other things I want:

A DRESS
Soul Calibur IV for PS3
A PS3 controller
Guitar Hero 3 + matching guitar
A super powerful computer
ORIGINAL software for graphic artists
- Adobe CS4 Creative Suite
- Maya
- 3D Studio Max
- Cinema 4D
- Painter
- Z-brush
- Particle Illusion
Acrylics
Ribbons (yes, ribbons)
Bead Earrings and Bracelets
An X-Box for the game lab ^_^
Bleach episodes from the first season to the latest
Book: American Caeser (It’s a book about McArthur. I want it because my grandpa’s in the book ^_^ Yaye lolo!)
Marbles
Plywood
An electric saw
Pure white curtains
Pure white/pure, deep red sheets and pillow cases. I don’t want any embroiders
Pure white/deep red/black throw pillows. No embroideries please
A red lamp/oriental looking lamp
External hard disk
A red mini skirt
QUALITY stockings (white/black)
Miniature swords ^^
A dagger
Tulips (I don’t like roses)
A Starbucks planner
Almonds
Walnuts
Popcorn
A laptop bag that doesn’t look like a laptop bag that can fit both my Vaio and my Intuos3
Dinner at Italianni’s/Mezzaluna/Cyma.
Raspberry Brownies
Raspberries + Strawberries + Blackberries + Blueberries + Cherries + MANGOES
Mango Jam ^_^
Nai Cha
Diamonds
Truffles. Not the chocolates.
See’s Chocolates
Leonidas Chocolates
Andes Chocolates
A free trip to Milan + shopping money
My own room in Gokongwei building
4.0 on all my subjects whether I’ve taken them or not ^_^
Pete’s Clavinova
The patience to read sheet music
Christmas money + my inheritance
A trained, male German Shepherd
A house in Greenhills
World peace!!!!!
Spend Christmas night with Andrew ^_^
Chainsaw
Sprinklers
Ivory chopsticks
My own restaurant
Cooking lessons
A bonsai
Shitake mushrooms
A big ass lava lamp
My own country
The ability to fly
Kurapika’s chains
A lightsaber
The plasma ball thingy (the one with the lightningy stuff inside)
A room for my clothes
Lord of the rings chess set
Boots!!!!
Fireworks
Fireflies
High socks
A big ass train set
Clay/Stone bricks
French fries
Hard Rock Cafe’s chef as my own personal chef
Full treatment at Suriya Spa
Lots of quality, glass beads
Dark Tower comics
Carving tools
Sculpey
Edible panties
Shu Uemura make up
Kiehl’s skin care products
Microwave oven
A ship in a bottle
A whip
In-line skates
Miyavi
Quality wigs
1000 paper cranes
White wine
Sea shells
Fountain
Moogle plush toy
An instant cure for scoliosis
Slaves
A snowboarding trip
Cordless earphones
Zombie (cocktail)
An eccentric, glass vase
Decorative candles (red ^_^)
A happy life

Blog Test

2008-11-16T08:18:00.001-08:00

Ripped from whereisandreww.blogspot.com

Fresh from E3 2008, a teaser trailer for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion.

The story will be around the events regarding the Secret War event of Marvel up to Civil War. So meaning you can fight other heroes and maybe choose sides.
As the name implies, players can "fuse" powers from other superheroes together to create a hybrid ability. You can see an example of Iron Man and Invisible Woman performing the "fusion" in the video.
This game will be released for the next-gen consoles and the Nintendo DS sometime in 2009.

This is the video

This is a hyperlink: MyLaSalle

This is a map

This is a tag:

Flickr Tags: dogs

first post

2008-11-16T02:54:00.000-08:00

test test. testing.