PnP Game Theme

The idea I had for my PnP game revolves around utilizing the human senses to problem solve and beat the game. If I had to pick a concept statement to describe my PnP game, it would probably be:

"Using nothing but your senses-work together to escape the mansion before you become a permanent resident."

Basically, the theme of my PnP game is to use each of the human senses to solve riddles or problems in every room of an abandoned gothic mansion; all while being chased by a monster you unleash on a dare. The senses being used in the game are sight, sound, touch, and scent. The reason why I didn't include taste is because I determined that technically scent and taste are a linked sense, therefore it can be combined into one. The goal? Solve the most riddles; but most importantly, escape alive.

The game itself takes place in the present day, and the mansion is hidden in the woods several miles from any form of human civilization.

The following images represent the kind of art style I would like to pursue while I make this game. Considering the theme and genre, I figured a more semi-realistic art style would be best:

BOARD GAME ART:

               -The board will be black and white to start out with until the players begin to solve each room's riddle. Once the players have solved the riddle of a room, the piece will be flipped over to the color side, showing the players that room has been solved.

"CHARACTER" CARD DESIGNS:

          -Something like this for the front, with different designs drawn in the background representing each sense. Each color will also represent a different sense:

And something on the back such as a symbol or design either representing that sense or the board game itself.

CLUE CARDS:
          -Each card will have the exact same design for each sense in terms of color (see above image), with the back showing that each sense will have their own pile of cards to pick from.

PLAY PIECES:
                 -Play pieces ("character" pieces) will be color coded and will most likely represent the sense in some way other than color alone.
                 -Dice will be used to move players around the board. I was thinking of making the dice out of wood to give it a more rustic or "old" feel. Almost like you found them lying around the very mansion you're attempting to escape from.

Obviously there is a lot more for me to think about with this idea, and I'm still working a lot of things out; mainly the rules.

PALLETE CHOICES:
        -Since the game takes place in an abandoned mansion, I decided to go with a lot of dark, almost totally neutral colors to fit the game's atmosphere. I'm trying to avoid using too many reds and greens so if somebody who is color blind wants to play the game, they can do so without having to worry about distinguishing each piece or card from someone else. Although even if I did use reds and greens, I don't think anybody who is color blind would have too tough a time as there are going to be other physical ways for someone to tell what each piece or card is with or without color.

**Note that all colors below were checked with the vision simulation option on Paletton's website. I picked the colors that worked or had enough of a contrast that I thought they could be used.

POSSIBLE BOARD GAME COLORS:

POSSIBLE PLAYER PIECE COLORS:

Learning How to Texture

As an aspiring Video Game Cinematic Artist, it's important for me to not only be savvy in 3D modeling programs like Maya, 3Ds Max, or Z Brush, but also know how to manipulate texturing programs to create hyper-realistic (or as close to realistic as possible) textures for my models. After all, the point of a cinematic trailer is to show how awesome the game looks with the technology we have today. As an artist that likes to pay close attention to even the smallest detail(s)-despite my very sketchy drawing style-I'm hoping this helps, rather than hinders, me in the long run.

I recently just began the texturing section of my 3D modeling class, and I hope within a somewhat short amount of time-at least before I graduate-that I can learn how to not only make, but enhance the textures to a point that they look real and, to an extent, professionally made. Granted, I'm still just a student, but if I want to be a cinematic artist for video games, I need to get it as close to real life as possible (this changes depending on the style of the game, of course).

I would have to say I'm pretty excited to start the texturing section. My class is building a level based on the theme "Renaissance of Machines," and after modeling and unwrapping our modular kits, we are now on to creating textures for the walls, stonework, fresco, plaster-anything that might be needed to make the finished versions of our levels. I know I won't be making the most amazing looking textures-I've never even used Maya until this class-but I definitely am going to try and get it as close as I can.

I would also like to point out that I've never used Maya until this semester, and I felt pretty accomplished with the models I'd created for our modular kit, especially when I received a B for them. I will hopefully post pictures of the models soon.

Film Language in Game Design

A lot of people don't really notice the fact that a video game is basically an interactive movie. A lot, if not all, of the choices made when filming-whether it is lighting, camera angles, editing, and a whole lot more-are also incorporated when designing a game. I took two film classes back at my community college and learned a lot about film there, which I didn't think much about at the time. However, I recently just completed a reverse edit assignment for my Game Design one class in which we had to note the different camera movements in a scene; as well as any other things like music, sound effects, cutting on action, etc. I was also assigned to draw thumbnails of the scene(s) as well as describe them.

Without learning (and incorporating) elements of film, the cinematic trailers you see for video games wouldn't be nearly as appealing as they are now. There may be a small chance you'd be interested in the footage of the gameplay, but personally, I feel like the cinematic trailers, out of everything else, sells the game. And the film elements don't stop at the cinematic trailers; they're in (or at least SHOULD be in) every video game you play when you watch cutscenes.

As someone who is interested in becoming a video game cinematic artist, it's very important for me to know film language probably just as much as I know art; and if you're going into the game design/art field, you probably should, too.

PnP/Board Game ideas

We were asked to come up with a list of 20 ideas, and expand upon them, in hopes of finding an idea for our own PnP/Board games. Below I have a small list out of those 20 ideas that I managed to expand a bit more on:

1.) PIRATS
           You dress your pet rats up in tiny pirate outfits and then place them in your toy ships in plans to snap adorable pictures; what you get instead however is a battle between two rats in a ball pit.

                                               i.     ships: not real boats, just toy boats

                                             ii.     pirates are actually rats

                                            iii.     treasure = cheese

                                            iv.     “Moby Dick” = giant white cat

                                             v.     water = ball pit?

2.) Sound it Out

            Game revolving around using your sense of SOUND.

                                              i.     sort of like DnD where one person is the ‘game master’ and reads off different sounds for diff situations

1.    player determines what action to take based on that sound/what options given

2. Options are split into different colors; once you pick an option, you must then correspond it with the card number given to you by the "game master"

3.) Abandoned facility

 Experiments escaped; must find way out alive; survival horror

                      i. can pick up diff weapons, but only carry one at a time

                     ii. use materials found to navigate through facility

                    iii. Goal: Get out before you’re killed

4.) The World of Tomorrow

            -After a nuclear fallout hundreds of years ago, the Earth is slowly recovering from its effects; only small groups of humans remain and survival of the fittest comes in to play.

-Lizards are used like cars: transportation

                        -Huge; growth due to nuclear fallout —> mutation hundreds of years later; not the only things to have grown/changed due to radiation

                        -Learning to survive in slowly expanding new future; other groups aggressive/hostile (players play against each other but can combine forces to take another group out)

5.) Bugs/Bug Kingdom

            -actually little people in armor

            -other bugs represent diff. statuses in kingdom

            -certain other animals = uses for transportation

            -old stump = kingdom

6.) Hooky

            -You’re sitting at school, but would rather be outside enjoying the nice day; so you decide to sneak out of school instead.

                        -Hazards: Hall monitors; teachers; janitors, etc.

                        -Collect: Hall passes to get past enemies; hard to come by and can only be used once before —> discard pile

7.) Brain Dead

            -Mad scientist uses TV to brainwash everyone into mindless zombies