Sea of Ghosts (DD1101)

Over the Christmas Break we have been tasked by Mark to choose from a selection of books to read while taking notes about each characters design and appearance. We then use these notes when we start the new semester and draw some concept art of a character of Mark's choice. I decided to read Sea of Ghosts by Alan Campbell as the synopsis intrigued me and Mark said specifically that it was one of his favourite books.

I am currently on the seventh chapter of the book and am finding very interesting, interesting enough that I couldn't put the book down for 2 hours this morning. While it was slightly intimidating after the prologue chapter as the whole story shifted 6 years and many new terms were being used by characters that were foreign to me, I managed to pick it up and can't wait to find out what happens.

I've decided to read it without taking notes so that I can really get into the story plot and characters and then re read it to take notes which Mark asked of us. I will upload these notes to the blog in the near future!

Antagonist Development (DD1101)

Now that I had a basis for my antagonist character, I could begin to design him. Because of the Demon flames that corrupted the character, I decided that he should have flame powers and flame aesthetics including his pupils which also indicates his will being controlled by the Demon King. I also chose to have him wear a helmet so that his identity remains a secret and the human population simply believe he is a demon until later on in the story. Below is the final design for the character with a head shot: 

Antagonist Bio (DD1101)

For Mark's final assignment before the end of the first semester we had to design an antagonist and protagonist complete with concept art and a bio to fit with that character. We were then told to choose one of these characters and develop them for a submission.
I chose to do the antagonist for the submission because he seemed more interesting. I firstly wrote a bio so that I could structure the character around this. Below is the bio for Phlegon (the name of the antagonist).

Once titled King Atlas, one of the most prosperous and righteous kings of old, he was contempt on creating the perfect kingdom. After a terrible disease struck his kingdom, an old, mysterious sorcerer explained to him how he could cure the entire population. After using the king’s armies to dig a trench in the shape of a ring around the entire kingdom, the sorcerer used it as magical gateway to bring forth his demonic army from the depths. This also prompted his transformation into his former self, the Demon King Azul. This magic used the population as a sacrifice to open the gate, let alone the king who was engulfed in the demons flame. Infused with this power he became a transcendent being and the Demon kings personal general, though not to his will. He leaves a flaming scar across all of the lands that he pillages, and incites fear into the people who only know him by the name Warlord Phlegon, The Blazing One.

The protagonist links to this character because Phlegon destroys his home village along with his parents. Firstly living in deep despair, he then gathers the courage to avenge his family and begins to train as a warrior to take on Phlegon. Little does he know of Phlegon's past and that he is only a pawn in this all out war.

Majora's Mask Clay Model Final (DD1101)

Below are a few photo's of the clay model that I created for Mark's Assignment. I think it turned out all right though I would say my painting skills have much room for improvement!

Silhouette Drawings Development (DD1101)

Here are both silhouette drawings with the silhouette, line art and final image versions. I think they came out quite nicely.

3D Modelling Chests (XB1134)

After creating both chest models and applying textures to them, I presented them in this format to be printed out. I'm not very happy with the outcome as I feel the chests look quite bland. I plan to redo the textures for both chests before the final hand in. I do find 3D modelling quite complicated at times but I'm sure after more use of it and familiarising myself with its tools, I will be able to implement better techniques.

Majora's Mask Sculpture (D1101)

This is just a few development shots of the Majora's Mask Sculpture I am making for Mark's assignment. The base consists of Wire and tin foil which acts as a skeleton. It means I don't have to use as much clay which in turn means that it weighs less and is more durable:

Treasure Chest Mood Board (XB1134)

Sword and Shield Design One (XB1134)

This sword and shield concept design will be used as a base to create the 3D model version, I will be creating two sets of a sword and shield.

Silhouette Drawing One (DD1101)

This is the first silhouette drawing for Mark's assignment. Mark taught us that different shapes have different meanings such as a triangle representing an evil and menacing character and a square/rectangular shape representing nobility and heroism. My character's base is mostly rectangular as he is not an evil character, yet there are some triangular shapes used such as his hair, goatee, sword and coat which could suggest he has a fierce/angry peronality.

Shield Design Moodboard (XB1134)

Sword Design Moodboard (XB1134)

Create a Board Game From an Existing Video Game (XB1000)

For Stephens next assignment we must create a board game from any video game that we choose. I have decided to use the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm game series as it is one of my favourite games so I have a good knowledge of how the mechanics work and they would convert well to a board game.
I am currently writing a summary of how the game will play.

Design Movement Essay Plan (DD1000)

Below I have pasted a copy of my essay plan that basically explains which design movement I have chosen, why I have chosen that movement and a list of sources that I will use for my research:

Historical Design Essay Plan

As part of Historical Contextual studies with Ben we have been tasked with writing an essay that will focus on a chosen historical design movement. This essay will give an in depth look at all the research areas within the chosen movement. I have decided to proceed using the Art Deco design movement as the base of this essay because I have a genuine interest and would love to learn a great deal more about it.

The style of Art Deco is very unique and uses basic Geometric shapes in a certain form that is very pleasing to the eye. I have learned that particularly in architecture it uses a step pattern which is evidenced by the Chrysler building and the Empire State building and this style is present in most drama theatres as it was widely popular during the design of these structures. The title of the essay will be “The Art Deco design movement” which correlates to the topic.

I have purchased a number of reading materials that will aid me greatly in my research, these are listed below.

Art Deco 1910 – 1939 by Tim Benton (2012)

Based on reviews from consumers who have purchased the book, it is said this book is the definitive volume on Art Deco. It covers everything from the sources that came to develop the style and all the way to its spread across the world. Looking at scans from the book It is very well laid and comes with many relevant high quality images which is very useful and interesting.

Design History: A Students Handbook by Hazel Conway (1987)

This book focuses on design overall which will become of use for researching how we plan out designs and how this ideal has changed across many years.

The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda (2006)

This book goes in depth about how simplicity plays a key role in design and can relate to the Art Deco movement in a number of ways.

I will also have a look at different online sources to get any ideals or opinions that people may have so that I have a wide range included in my essay. I will update my blog with these research materials so that they can be accessed easily in one place.

Headline Puzzle (XB1000)

In Today's lesson with Stephen we were given the Manchester Metro newspaper with which were asked to use any headline for the base idea of a puzzle. We found an article about five people dying from consuming a full can of energy drink in a small space of time that resulted in a caffeine overdose.
Our game was similar to a "Where's Wally" puzzle in which the player has to find safety hazards within a drawn image. Below is an image of hints for each object and the actual puzzle picture:

Design Movement Choice (DD1000)

As part of Historical Contextual Studies with Ben, we must write an essay that  identifies a chosen design movement that presents an in depth catalogue of information. To start the group must choose a design movement with which they would like to base this essay around. Though it isn't finalized I believe I will choose Art Deco.

Art Deco is quite an interesting movement to me and I would like to find out more about it. We have covered this movement in a recent lecture and I found out many new facts, one of these being that the majority of stage theatres have an Art Deco design primarily because it was highly popular in the 1960's when they were structured. 

The Manchester O2 Apollo Arena is a prime example within the local area as I remember noticing the decor when I was at a concert sometime last year.

Puzzle Idea (XB1000)

Stephen has tasked our group to come up with three separate puzzle ideas that relate to defusing a bomb, relevantly titled "Da Bomb!". I have come across several ideas but I have decided to go ahead with the following idea as my main puzzle although this may change depending on how well the puzzle is recieved in playtesting at the next lecture.

The puzzle is numerical and consists of the player using a set of given numbers to enter a code that will add up to a specified number. each code consists of six numbers which must be entered from smallest to largest. Each code will halt the electrical current through one wire. The three wires are the primer, battery and ignition timer.

The player will be on a set time limit which I will set at one minute, although this is subject to change as I will see how fast test players can complete the puzzle.

Black and White Image (Final) (DD1101)

Black and White Image (DD1101)

This is an image of my black and white piece designed in Photoshop. We were allowed to choose the character we draw so I decided to go for a sort of gladiator type character. The image shown is the base and I will be adding details such as his face, clothing and weapons soon. I also decided to have the character holding a severed head in his right hand just to make the character look more brutal. The final version will be posted soon, stay tuned!

Design Movement: Cubism (DD1000)

Cubism first came to light in the early 20th century, derived by both Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. It has inspired movements in music, architecture and literature and is declared to be the most influentuel art movemnet of that century. Cubism basically consists of simplified shapes such as spheres and cylinders which depict natural forms. The term cubism is said to have originated by a man named Matisse refering to cubes when observing a pianting by Braque.
I find the style of this movement very interesting as the shapes create obscure images and the architecture is nice to look at, as seen in the image above.

Design Movement: Cubism Moodboard (DD1000)

Design Movement: Art Deco Moodboard (DD1000)

Design Movement: Art Deco (DD1000)

Art Deco is a design movement that originated from France in the 1920's and appeared globally at the start of the 1930's. It had a heavy influence on all styles of design including architecture (as shown by the Chrysler building in New York, image above) and the visual arts such as film and graphics. It is a style that represents aspects such as elegance and modernity with its structure being based on mathematical geometric shapes (also evidenced in the image above). 

I especially like this design movement as it is heavily referenced in one of my favourite games Bioshock. I agree that the design represents elegance as the shapes relate well to each other and look very pleasing to the eye. I also like the fact it has had such an influence on future design, especially interior design. 

Character Design Final (D1101)

In the latest lesson with Mark, everyone gathered together to present their three images of themselves as a character from a videogame. Each person would stand in the centre of the group to display their work and then recieve comments from Mark and fellow peers. 

I have provided my three drawings below:

I think this was an effective way of knowing what we did well and what could be improved upon as everybody had the chance to speak up their own opinions. One thing that was touched upon and that I totally agreed with was that on the full body image, the hands were too small. Proportions are key when it comes to drawing a picture that looks right.

Prototype Traditional Game (XB1000)

On Wednesday's lesson with Stephen we were tasked with getting into a group and bringing forth ideas for a traditional boardgame. We were then asked to create a prototype of the game on paper with rules and a key. Below are images of the game and the key:

Once the board games were complete, we paired with another group and tried and tested eachothers game. We then responded with and recieved feedback as to how our game could be improved. 

An example of feedback we received was to add more blackholes to each lane and change the rules so that a player would be taken back to the nearest black hole on their lane, not on the whole board.

Character Design (DD1101)

For Creative Thinking I've been tasked with drawing myself in the form of a character from my favourite game, the game(s) being The Legend of Zelda, from two different angles. I find the methods Mark uses to create the different parts of the body very effective, I was hopeless at drawing the right proportions before starting the course!

(Sorry for the bad images, not got a working scanner at the moment)

Had a go at a couple of practice drawings to get the idea of what sort of look I would give the character. Its basically me in Link's signature tunic and cap. I also attempted the side-on view and front view face shot of the character which turned out ok, shading and minor details to come!

Introduction (DD1000)

Hello!

My name is Dan Capp and I have just started a 3 year Games Design Degree at Futureworks Manchester. I have created this blog so that I can share my work and show my progress. I encourage and appreciate any feedback and information that can assist me in becoming a better Games Designer. 

It will be interesting to see how my skills develop throughout the years!

Thanks!