The GDC is a pretty big event that happens each year, consisting of conferences from visual art to management. I was having a look around the website http://www.gdconf.com/index.html and found some things that i would love to attend. One that stood out to me was the conference about how the landscapes in Farcry 2 were created. I've always been really interesting in level design; I’ve even made a few maps for Team Fortress 2, one of which is being used in a league soon.
Anyway, I’ve always wondered what process is used to create such vast landscapes such as the 50 square km world in Farcry 2. It must be almost impossible to create it in 3ds max. I can’t even image what it would be like to texture. I guess the same situation applies for a lot of rpg/adventure games such as oblivion and fallout 3, even though fallout 3 probably on had one texture, just grey and gritty.
I remember many years ago using a world editor for Command and Conquer Generals, you could deform the ground with a simple up and down tool, with different settings. I should imagine something similar could be used for Farcry, although a lot more time and effort would be needed, as the player is on the ground, not flying above it.
I reckon I would find this conference really interesting as level design is my favourite area of games and I would love to learn the techniques used.
What am I going to get out of three years at University
So, what do I really want out of my 3 years at uni? Of course a pass in the subject I’m doing would be nice, but it doesn’t mean it will secure me a job afterwards. I think quite a few people jump to this conclusion, if they go to uni and get their degree then they can just go out and get the perfect job. Life isn’t like that I’m afraid, especially at the moment, with more and more companies going bust, thousands of employees being made redundant. University is a big investment; you have your accommodation costs, course fees and generally outcome for food etc. You really have to make these 3 years count to really make the most of it.
Personally, I see university a chance to learn and develop new skills which you will need in the near future, to help you secure the job you are after. Sure, you can learn 3ds max in 2 weeks, by paying a couple of thousand pounds, but you don’t get the experience out of it. A lot of people who I have spoken too, who themselves went to uni, say that is has been some of the best years of their life so far. For me, it is the first time where i have become fully independent and I’m enjoying it.
Another thing I plan to get out of uni is a strong portfolio, which is vital when applying for jobs, without it you won’t be going anywhere. I should be able to build up a nice bulk of work ranging from drawings and sculptures to 3d models and digital paintings. Another good thing about the time hear is that we get people in from the industry itself, who can give us valuable advice on what to do and how to go about it.
With all these facts taking in to consideration, my 3 years at uni will be well spent and push me that little bit further to being part of the games industry.
Personally, I see university a chance to learn and develop new skills which you will need in the near future, to help you secure the job you are after. Sure, you can learn 3ds max in 2 weeks, by paying a couple of thousand pounds, but you don’t get the experience out of it. A lot of people who I have spoken too, who themselves went to uni, say that is has been some of the best years of their life so far. For me, it is the first time where i have become fully independent and I’m enjoying it.
Another thing I plan to get out of uni is a strong portfolio, which is vital when applying for jobs, without it you won’t be going anywhere. I should be able to build up a nice bulk of work ranging from drawings and sculptures to 3d models and digital paintings. Another good thing about the time hear is that we get people in from the industry itself, who can give us valuable advice on what to do and how to go about it.
With all these facts taking in to consideration, my 3 years at uni will be well spent and push me that little bit further to being part of the games industry.
Creativity Take 2
Right, Creativity again. Personally my views on it haven’t changed a great deal, but recently I’ve been thinking about a video we were shown in a lecture. It is a speech from Ken Robinson, you can watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
On part that really caught my attention was when he mentions that everybody is born with creativity, its just people loose it when going through education. Think about it, you are forced to do subjects such as Maths, Science and English, no matter how good you are at it. It is only until your 4th year at secondary school where you get to choose 3 subjects to do, along with English, Science and Maths. Also, creativity can come in a variety of forms such as dance and music, not just art. During education, children who are talented in dance for example, are taken away from the creativity due to being forced to study maths and science, therefore their talent is not put to use.
The other things are mistakes. Nowadays, mistakes are generally the worst things you can do in you're average job. This also applies to education for example, maths you are either right or wrong. This is the complete opposite to any form of art, in art you can never be wrong, it is just a different style or approach to a subject. This is what hurts children’s creativity early one, they begin to think that if their work is not exactly the same as an example then it will be wrong, and therefore think that they aren’t good enough and stick to the usual subjects like maths. A lot of talent and creativity is lost and not put to use because of this thought process.
This pretty much my thoughts on this subject, for now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
On part that really caught my attention was when he mentions that everybody is born with creativity, its just people loose it when going through education. Think about it, you are forced to do subjects such as Maths, Science and English, no matter how good you are at it. It is only until your 4th year at secondary school where you get to choose 3 subjects to do, along with English, Science and Maths. Also, creativity can come in a variety of forms such as dance and music, not just art. During education, children who are talented in dance for example, are taken away from the creativity due to being forced to study maths and science, therefore their talent is not put to use.
The other things are mistakes. Nowadays, mistakes are generally the worst things you can do in you're average job. This also applies to education for example, maths you are either right or wrong. This is the complete opposite to any form of art, in art you can never be wrong, it is just a different style or approach to a subject. This is what hurts children’s creativity early one, they begin to think that if their work is not exactly the same as an example then it will be wrong, and therefore think that they aren’t good enough and stick to the usual subjects like maths. A lot of talent and creativity is lost and not put to use because of this thought process.
This pretty much my thoughts on this subject, for now...
Life Changing or Career Building?
Getting into the industry is always going to be hard from the start, especially from a graduate’s point of view. The main reason is simply due to the lack of experience you will have when you leave uni.
When game companies are looking for a new artist, they usually spilt into two categories. The first being the people who are only interested in hiring experienced artists, people who have been working in the industry for several years. This means that they can pretty much guarantee that the person will be productive and creative enough to produce decent outcomes for the games the company is working on.
On the other hand we have companies who tend to prefer artists with a liberal arts background. This gives the chance for the inexperienced to give it a shot at the games industry, enhancing their abilities and gaining valuable experience. If you are an exceptionally talented graduate, some companies spot this, and offer students a job as soon as the finish the course. You often get people in from the industry to visit universities and have a look at some of the work produced. This gives the chance for students to receive valuable feedback from experienced artists who do the sort of stuff for a living.
Now, game art courses offer a lot to help students on their way to being a game artist, but they can't do everything for you. The courses are generally there to guide you and it is up to you to become unique to other artists. Game companies like to see a variation of styles in a portfolio; this means that the employee will be able to produce artwork for any genre. Of course, you will be taught rather a lot, the drawing techniques to produce convincing sketches, digital painting and 3d modelling such as 3ds max. However, as I said earlier, it is up to the student themselves to make that final jump, to stand out from the others and get that position as game artist.
When game companies are looking for a new artist, they usually spilt into two categories. The first being the people who are only interested in hiring experienced artists, people who have been working in the industry for several years. This means that they can pretty much guarantee that the person will be productive and creative enough to produce decent outcomes for the games the company is working on.
On the other hand we have companies who tend to prefer artists with a liberal arts background. This gives the chance for the inexperienced to give it a shot at the games industry, enhancing their abilities and gaining valuable experience. If you are an exceptionally talented graduate, some companies spot this, and offer students a job as soon as the finish the course. You often get people in from the industry to visit universities and have a look at some of the work produced. This gives the chance for students to receive valuable feedback from experienced artists who do the sort of stuff for a living.
Now, game art courses offer a lot to help students on their way to being a game artist, but they can't do everything for you. The courses are generally there to guide you and it is up to you to become unique to other artists. Game companies like to see a variation of styles in a portfolio; this means that the employee will be able to produce artwork for any genre. Of course, you will be taught rather a lot, the drawing techniques to produce convincing sketches, digital painting and 3d modelling such as 3ds max. However, as I said earlier, it is up to the student themselves to make that final jump, to stand out from the others and get that position as game artist.
Sound in Games
Sound in games has to be one of the most important areas when designing a game. Sound can dramatically enhance the gamers experience. The type of genre that comes to mind is horror/thriller. Games such as Doom, Resident Evil and Left4Dead all use the soundtrack to create suspence. For example, in resident evil, you will be walking through an abandoned building which is dead silent, appart from some creaks. All of a sudden you may hear objects being knocked onto the floor and growling. Then some fast paced music starts to play, but nothings happening, you hear moar growling, the music gets faster, you start to run then BAM, evil mutated zombie dog jumps on your face. The game wouldn't be the same if you had Alice in Wonderland playing in the background. Now game engines are becoming more safisticated sounds can easily be triggered at certain events, rather than constantly being played.
As for my own sound history, i remember loving the songs on the Crash Bandicoot games. They made if so much more enjoyable to play compared to if it was played in silence. My favourite soundtrack has to be the Worms 2 theme. Sometimes I would just sit there listening to it and not actually playing the game. The music of Worms has always been good up until it turned 3D. The music on the main menu was HORRIBLE, in my opinion, just so cheezy, just didnt fit the game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZGBDYG5aTY&feature=related
Now compare that to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpV28Jcmdfk&feature=related
I know which one i prefer.
Whilst on the topic of worms, who could forget this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mqrkvc6wS4&feature=related
Anyway, for some games I tend to turn off the music completely. For example, on Dawn of War 2 i have it switched off so i can hear whats actually going on, aswell as hearing my mate speak over Vent which is always a useful thing.
As for my own sound history, i remember loving the songs on the Crash Bandicoot games. They made if so much more enjoyable to play compared to if it was played in silence. My favourite soundtrack has to be the Worms 2 theme. Sometimes I would just sit there listening to it and not actually playing the game. The music of Worms has always been good up until it turned 3D. The music on the main menu was HORRIBLE, in my opinion, just so cheezy, just didnt fit the game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZGBDYG5aTY&feature=related
Now compare that to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpV28Jcmdfk&feature=related
I know which one i prefer.
Whilst on the topic of worms, who could forget this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mqrkvc6wS4&feature=related
Anyway, for some games I tend to turn off the music completely. For example, on Dawn of War 2 i have it switched off so i can hear whats actually going on, aswell as hearing my mate speak over Vent which is always a useful thing.
Game Engines
The game engine is the software that actually makes a game work. Without it, you would just have a load of random data not doing much at all. Game engines are designed to work on a variety of platforms. For example, Valve's Source engine works on the PC, Playstation 3 and xbox 360, even though it is about 50 years old :P Still, Team Fortress turned out nicely, except for crappy hit detection and many many bugs.
Anyway, a game engine consists of several smaller engines. These include a rendering engine, physics/collision engine, sound, animation, AI and more. The actual term 'game engine' was used when the release of Doom and Quake appeared. From these, many developers brought licenses to use these engines and then simply design their own visual style, clearly saving them time and money.
Subtractive and additive are terms used for difference level creation processes. The additive process is where the designer must create the level in a void which is endless and empty. If this process is used a skybox is required to seal off the map. A map must have no leaks, otherwise this can cause lighting issues and textures becoming distorted and blurred. If you think about a fish tank, if there is a hole then the water will leak out, the same applies for a level, but it needs a roof of course. Subtractive on the other hand is where there is no void, just an infinite solid which must be carved into. This method means that there is no chance of leaks but it isn’t as easy to manipulate as the additive process. Maps such as Counterstrike and Team Fortress 2 are created with the additive process, in a program called hammer. It is a free program to download off Steam, in the Source Developer Kit.
As for next generation engines, they must have a long life span and to be adaptable for many games. This will help reduce costs, as developing a game can cost millions. Only the highly popular games will easily provide a profitable income.
Anyway, a game engine consists of several smaller engines. These include a rendering engine, physics/collision engine, sound, animation, AI and more. The actual term 'game engine' was used when the release of Doom and Quake appeared. From these, many developers brought licenses to use these engines and then simply design their own visual style, clearly saving them time and money.
Subtractive and additive are terms used for difference level creation processes. The additive process is where the designer must create the level in a void which is endless and empty. If this process is used a skybox is required to seal off the map. A map must have no leaks, otherwise this can cause lighting issues and textures becoming distorted and blurred. If you think about a fish tank, if there is a hole then the water will leak out, the same applies for a level, but it needs a roof of course. Subtractive on the other hand is where there is no void, just an infinite solid which must be carved into. This method means that there is no chance of leaks but it isn’t as easy to manipulate as the additive process. Maps such as Counterstrike and Team Fortress 2 are created with the additive process, in a program called hammer. It is a free program to download off Steam, in the Source Developer Kit.
As for next generation engines, they must have a long life span and to be adaptable for many games. This will help reduce costs, as developing a game can cost millions. Only the highly popular games will easily provide a profitable income.
Gaming Culture
The gaming culture is growing and growing nowadays, what with more and more people having access to broadband and therefore the Internet. I remember playing games a bit around the age of 10, until the day I got a broadband connection at home. Ever since then I have been part of the online gaming community, which tends to occupy a fair chunk of my life. Now that I think about it, I didn’t really play many games online until I was introduced to Steam. This is an online community just for games, it has its own store where you can purchase and download games, as well as friend and chat system. When online, it tells you what games your friends are playing and what server they are on. I have a Playstation 3 at home and Steam is far better for keeping track of friends and joining them. In my opinion I think it is better the Microsoft Live, plus its free :P
Anyway, gone off at a tangent as always. A friend at college said I should buy counterstrike, so I did, and unlike most people I really didn’t like it. Now I’m a big fps fan but it was just so dull, slow and good at killing your morale. Run round a corner, headshot, wait 5 minutes to respawn and same again. Another friend showed me Team Fortress 2 and what a game. I’ve been playing it since it was released up to this day and I still love it. Not just the gameplay, the art direction they took, the humour...crap I’m doing it again. Right, back to steam community. If I look at my friends list, only 5 of them I know in real life, out of 50 odd. Since playing TF2 I have joined a clan where I have got to know a lot of decent chaps, some i know really well now, even though I’ve never seen them in my life.
The clan I am in compete against hundreds of other clans all over Europe; some cups even offer prize money to the winners. There are huge gaming festivals where thousands of gamers go to compete in tournaments.
Some people say that games take always peoples social life, stop them from exploring the outside world and people. On the other hand, you get to meet many new people and talk to them, not just typing, which makes things far better, you really get to know people well, and have a great laugh in game. I’m glad to be part of an thriving community and will be for many years to come, hopefully.
Anyway, gone off at a tangent as always. A friend at college said I should buy counterstrike, so I did, and unlike most people I really didn’t like it. Now I’m a big fps fan but it was just so dull, slow and good at killing your morale. Run round a corner, headshot, wait 5 minutes to respawn and same again. Another friend showed me Team Fortress 2 and what a game. I’ve been playing it since it was released up to this day and I still love it. Not just the gameplay, the art direction they took, the humour...crap I’m doing it again. Right, back to steam community. If I look at my friends list, only 5 of them I know in real life, out of 50 odd. Since playing TF2 I have joined a clan where I have got to know a lot of decent chaps, some i know really well now, even though I’ve never seen them in my life.
The clan I am in compete against hundreds of other clans all over Europe; some cups even offer prize money to the winners. There are huge gaming festivals where thousands of gamers go to compete in tournaments.
Some people say that games take always peoples social life, stop them from exploring the outside world and people. On the other hand, you get to meet many new people and talk to them, not just typing, which makes things far better, you really get to know people well, and have a great laugh in game. I’m glad to be part of an thriving community and will be for many years to come, hopefully.
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