Update!

I have finished all work for this module and now they are just waiting to be printed. Its hard to write a cover letter but I think I am happy with them.

TO DO OVER EASTER:

• 250 Word summarising Media Molecule. PDF.
• CV with Cover letter tailored to Media Molecule
• 250 Word summarising Mind Candy. PDF.
• CV with Cover letter tailored to Mind Candy
• Choose artwork to be printed for portfolio - possible digital portfolio also. 
• 15min PP pitch speaking about Ceres the game. (The mechanics etc, selling it to potential investors)
• Print GDD.

How to hand in: Printed 250 word analysis, cover letter, CV, CD, Portfolio.

(Note - Pink portfolio for Mind Candy)
(Note - spark for this game derived from research carried in regards to the craft researching Ceres.)

Looking at Portfolios:

DESIGN

Jacob Minkoff:

More detail, more content are quite a heavy website, it is a designer one, not a concept art one and this shows the large contrast between the two styles of website. More like a blog than a website. Wordpress site.

Sam Kaplan:

Strange website, not very nice layout, text heavy, possibly suitable for a designer but not an artist.

Both lighter website design.

ART

James Haywood:

Quite sleek, nicely done, not text heavy, barely any.

Dark website. Easy to navigate.

Jon McCoy:

Another dark website, makes it look sleek and polished. Simple, hardly any text.

Easy to navigate.

Richard Craig:

Simple, quite dark again, easy to navigate. Art is the only feature/main feature.

What Makes a Good Design Portfolio?

Easy to navigate, a well made website, not a naff one from a company with premade websites (I personally think) gets the vision across clearly, easy to see what the designer has done before, what they are doing in the future, upcoming projects? Shows the designer is still in demand? Not too ‘busy’. No need for lots of text, more than an artists, but not loads. Easy to get to contact info. Well written, possibly themed on the designers previous work?

What to Avoid in a Design Portfolio?

A messy website, hard to navigate, hard to find info. Clashing backgrounds/themes/font that make the website not nice to look at or navigate, hard to read. Mix message theme with the designers work, ie- cartoon layout with realistic work from the designer. A good balance between formal and informal wording, swearing for example would not be professional. 

Hello Games/Ninja Theory

Hello Games and Ninja Theory, differences and similarities

Similarities:

Both English companies based down south, not too far from each other.

Both started as very small companies with only about 3 or 4 people.

They each have only made a handful of games but they have all been critically acclaimed.

They are both hiring.

They both work on PS3 and Xbox.

Differences:

Ninja Theory focus on larger games, such as big campaign console games such as DmC and Enslaved.

Hello Games focus on smaller, downloadable names.

Hello Games also develop for iOS.

Ninja Theory seem to aspire to be one day a big games company, whereas Hello Games seem to like being a small company and are happy that way.

One way to really notice this is the look of the websites each own. Hello Games is cutesy and fun whereas Ninja Theory’s looks slick and serious using a mainly black theme with basic font.

Even their logos give you a sense of what their companies are about.

Art style, Ninja Theory’s is realistic whereas Hello Games is cartoon.

For over the holidays: (unfinished post)

CV and cover letter for one AAA company and one Indie company each.
I need to choose one of each to tailor my CV towards.

AAA
I used to always like the sound of Visceral because I liked Dead Space and the character/set/creature design but I think I need to look at more before I make up my mind.
I'll go for Media Molecule, theyre based in england and their designs, ethos and games are really inspiring and with my art style I think I can bring something to the table.

Indie
I wouldn't mind Mind Candy or Pop Cap, but to choose one, I'll go for Mind Candy.
They have produced the Moshi Monsters series and are also based in England.

Slight addition:

I forgot to include the health for this game so I have amended this, it is mushrooms grown in the caves that Westley finds he can eat and he keeps a bottle ith him and fills it with he water from the pools in the caves.

I just thought it'd be a nice cut scene for him to find he can eat the fungi by seeing a little herbivore creature eating them.

Last 2 pages:

Latest GDD page:

Now I have 2 more pages of the 60 second gameplay to do then its finished.

Updates:

From the feedback given I have updated my GDD. I will create the 60 second gameplay example on Thursday.
The final piece of artwork:

1st March Notes

Today we presented our GDDs so far. I realised mine needed these updates:


How long the game is
Engine
Go over art work - lead character - corridor
Possibly move up controls to make room for game play example
1 more environment - zoomed out inside of nests
Sounds - real songs
Game sleeve cover?

The environment and 60 second gameplay are the main things still to include, the rest are more updates.

Once I presented mine, I was given the feedback to include more of what is involved in each level, in the missions. My GDD does say that the players character has to find the lost crew members and will come across creatures to defeat, more detail is needed which is a really good point.

Some pages from the GDD Im quite proud of:

Last two enemies:

First Two Enemies:

Last Character:

Latest Character:

Newest character:

Some pages from my GDD:

Final Chosen Concept Document:

Now I need to complete the GDD for it.

Updated documents:

The last page of the third document isn't yet finished.

Concept Document Three:

Concept Document Two:

Concept Document One:

Looking at the chosen idea- How can it tie in with my report more noticably?

My game idea needs to tie in with what I looked at in my report, so thinking of this, the fact funding goes up and down depending on public interest and opinion can feature in the game, maybe because the FBI chooses to use aliens a detectives and its now well known and the people arent afraid maybe people throw money at NASA bacause of this huge discovery and some of the money goes to bringing back any aliens that want to work on earth, maybe not always as detectives, as scientists or teachers as they are very clever? But to bring them back is very expensive but the success of the first aliens detective work makes the public want to fund NASA more than ever before? Maybe this could feature at the end of the game and no one knows about the first alien detective and its the successful missions in the game that creates what is to follow, the uncovering of the murders that the player played through. Starts to create media interest and the FBI/NASA decide to tell the public as now the alien may have built trust?

Chosen Idea -2

Number 2 was my favourite, so looking at this idea I need to get from Dawn going to Ceres to using Aliens as detectives.
A stow away alien was one, the FBI/NASA use it like Paul from the film Paul and it goes on to be a detective.
I'd prefer a better idea to it being a stowaway as it was not a manned mission so I need to think about this.
Maybe it documents evidence alien life? So a manned mission brings back an alien or maybe even the alien follows the strange craft back to earth? Or the craft picks up some goo that grows into an alien? It grows up in NASA?

11 Jan XB3002

Exploring my 3 ideas further - Thinking about narrative, characters and gameplay.

1.       Dawn could bring something back to earth that starts either a widespread virus, causing zombies or mutations or perhaps the other way, causing us all to evolve into smarter beings, causing people to be able to get better at anything they want, or to create robots. Narrative- The game could start with an animation showing the Dawn craft either picking up strange signals which causes a team to go check it out or the Dawn could be shown coming back to NASA with a strange substance on it that could start the virus, maybe if used correctly or used for just rich people as it’s an expensive material it could be used to make people excel at any chosen subject, but misused it could mutate people or the poor end up rising up against the rich with this substance, in a Demolition Man style world.

Gameplay- A third person style game where you can upgrade sections would suit. Use the substance as currency or use it yourself, the more you use, the more powerful, the less you use, the better equipment, weapons and armor you have. Or a survival I Am Legend style game as Dawn brought back a virus that wiped out some and mutated others. Characters- Choose a man or woman, learning more about the incident or leave the world to just be what it is and learn more about the character throughout the game? Start out knowing nothing?

2.       Dawn could bring back a stowaway alien. Then it could either be evil and could either take over human forms or it could spawn more or maybe it could be harmless but funny, like Roger from American Dad, or an ET/Super 8 like story? Narrative- A team of a guy and an alien go about solving crimes in a near future world, maybe him being an alien is a secret but it helps to solve the murders? Possibly some humour? A bit MIB.

Characters- A male detective and an alien detective. A made up futuristic organization that uses aliens as partners for all their detectives, very secretive? Or the FBI and he’s the only alien detective, he and the FBI know but the public doesn’t. Gameplay- Detective work, not too futuristic, the alien helps by seeing things through its vision, maybe you can choose at the start who to play as, if you are human, you can ask him to use his powers? If alien, buttons activate powers, co op would also be good here.

3.       Dawn could document alien life on the planet and send the information back causing a manned ship to go to the planet to check it out- This could lead to a horror game. Or maybe a light hearted game with a story more like Planet 51. Narrative- check out what seems like a desolate planet but maybe it’s more like a survival and the planet is like the film Pitch Black. The gameplay being, when it goes dark maybe you have to make sure you’re inside somewhere, where you aren’t safe but safer than being outside? Or you are outside the whole time and you have to do things to avoid/fight the creatures. If its light hearted, the people could go check it out to find it is very similar to our world and they are harmless but frightened of us? This one could be humorous.

Characters- A team of astronauts, you play as one of them. Gameplay- If the horror, the weapons could be found objects or items that have other uses like in Dead Space or they could be more military like and have proper weapons? Stealth would play a large part. Using the darkness to your advantage would also work. If the light hearted one then maybe the whole point is to get back home? Maybe you crash landed? Maybe some of the aliens are hostile and you do have to fight them with the help of the first nice alien/s that found you?