Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

Context - When and where is this game set? The game is set in Britain in the small village of Shropshire, in game the village is renamed Yaughton. The time era is set in the 80s.

Visuals - How would you describe the art style? the art style is photo based realism and is made to look realistic.

Interaction – What sorts of gameplay mechanics can you identify? You can interact with doors open/close them, along with switching light switches on/off.

Narrative & Audio – What examples of audio can you hear and how is it used to convey the story? There is narrative audio in the game and is shown by golden particle light telling the story and is triggered when you are at the set location or area.

Firewatch

Context - When and where is this game set? The game is set in America in Wyoming, in a forest of course, a red wood forest. From research the game is set in 1989.

Visuals - How would you describe the art style? The art style isn't realistic but the way its done looks really calm to look out and can be aesthetic with the sun rise and sets. It is also very orange for a red wood forest.

Interaction – What sorts of gameplay mechanics can you identify? You can interact with items you may come across and find such as empty beer cans and a radio you can use. Along with a map to guide and see where you are. Exploring the map you can find locked boxes with supplies in and you can crack the code to open it.

Narrative & Audio – What examples of audio can you hear and how is it used to convey the story? In game the character can talk and talk over the radio while using it to contact others on the other side.

Game Inspiration

YouTube Screenshots

I was watching a past livestream from a YouTuber and he was playing a sci-fi based game and the design I remembered gave me some inspiration. This is a screenshot of a sofa area (the quality looks a little bad from the video) the art design of this game has aspects looking a bit low poly and it reminds me of 2015 game graphics in the game of course.

While watching through looking and getting other screenshots I had got this one, where the design could be something you can find in a bedroom like a desk setup. The style how furniture and decoration is something I like, this is what I was picturing in my mind for design. Yes I can change the wall colour and make it look more lively and functional, same goes for lighting so everything isn't appearing dim.

Looking at this screenshot it reminds me of like a common room sort of thing. There's a pool table on the right and at the top right is cabinets/desks with a pinboard on the wall with what looks like a blueprint or poster. The setting indeed looks sci-fi but where its not "overdone" sci-fi, this is something I wish to achieve myself and will try and put my aims towards something like this.

Apologies for the bad quality in this screenshot.

In the final screenshot of this it shows gym equipment such as treadmills and lifting weights, what I like about this is the style of it. Something about it makes it looks easy and simple to create in 3Ds Max and is something I can do and will take on the challenge. While making the environment I want to add little wall details so the walls don't appear as plain which copy and paste with these walls may come into place, the same may go with the floors having small indents as you can also see in the screenshot.

Research Inspiration

I had found this image online after searching up "sci-fi kitchen" this is an image I had found and it was something that stuck out. As it looks modern and touches on the sci-fi theme plus makes it look futuristic but not too far into future. After seeing this I want to create a kitchen in my project that is inspired by this, or touch on those aspects of similarity. In the centre of the kitchen the island, reminds me of the same sort of thing I made for my No Man's Sky project as I made the room idea in Minecraft and was based on a modern kitchen. So it'll be nice to make a kitchen island once again. The only thing that is different is that this kitchen design has smooth edges and corners as you can see, it has this theme of looking polished and "lively". Of course I want my environment looking alive and functional but not overdoing it.

(apologies for bad quality) Looking at another kitchen for some design there is a significant difference between the 2, at this kitchen has more the rough edges along with it looking like an expensive modern kitchen not having much of that "sci-fi" look. But I do like the layout of the kitchen I feel as it has a nice touch on a kitchen layout I could inspire my layout something like this, something about the layout looks almost homely. With the both of these images I feel like I can produce something with the aspects of both of these layouts and designs.

Trying to find some gym designs was a little challenge for me as you think of a gym it can be a plan room with gym equipment, tv or speakers for radio/songs along with posters around the room. But coming across this design it looks and feels extraterrestrial like the room shape itself looks unique and would be interesting to make a room design and shape like this. What I do like is the pillar in the centre of the room. as the lights match up to the middle adding the detail to the room not making it look plain and boring for the eye to look at. With my design I wanted it to look sci-fi and spacey but not too much where it goes deep into the future.

A space station is going to need its common room, and this picture of one caught my eye, I like how there is a small kitchen in the left hand side and a dinning table on the right. I feel as I can do something like this having it all in one big room, as it gives more choice on what to add. The look on this room is really multifunctional which is something I can go for on design. Having a little kitchen/common room and some command area ig with terminals and stuff

For some research inspiration The Martian has the theme of a solo character, as the main character is stranded behind on a space mission and is left to survive until help arrives. However, my theme isn't survival based where its just the same with a solo character on at a section of a space station. The making of my game is more detail wise on the models, not as much interaction on the coding side.

The Martian has it gritty side and more realistic way of design, of the environment the character is in something as the metal walls being white along with those bright lights coming from the ceiling and the "greenhouse" area being the same white metal with see-through plastic to keep condensation and humidity in the area where plants grow. On a planet with no life and the scheme of environment being white and things being functional is shows the hope of this stranded man being on a planet with no life.

Tacoma is a game that is set on a space station in 2088 into the future. its a walking simulator where you explore the space station finding details and information of the space crew who used to be aboard on the space station seeing both sides of the conversation of the events that occurred. As you walk and explore this space station with ai cameras you can see these holograms of the space crew, with this it reminds me of detective mode from the Arkham Batman games.

Sci-Fi and Lighting

When it comes to sci-fi lighting can come to be important especially for the aesthetic and making the area and scene pleasant. As in the Martian the lighting is gritty it doesn't look dull just has more of the dystopian type especially in that one scene where the crew is outside in the storm. When inside the lights are displayed as LEDs. Compared to Star Wars where lighting can seem very bright and lit up in areas like the Death Star. Along with that in Rebel bases have those LEDs on a stand. In my final product I have lighting that reminds of of a desk lamp and has casing on the lighting, displaying where its coming from, overall I think it was better off to spawn in my own lighting rather than having nothing.

This is a screengrab of Alien Isolation, it really shows of the horror in lighting during this game, even looking at it explains itself being a horror game. Looking at the lighting it only appears or shows to guide you to a location that you need to make your way to. I remember when I played this game I was in a big opened room which I think assembled a common room there was only LED light stands to guide me through. And as you can see the lighting is appearing to be LED white, very bright. Going through that door you can see light coming from the other side, it sort of reminds me of the lighting I had placed in my simulation.

Sci-Fi and Texturing

When it comes to texturing its important to make it appeasing to look at, while texturing mine I used dark metals panels for the walls and a metal flooring. When you look at sci-fi like Star Wars you can imagine light metal and glossy/shiny metals or surfaces. Along with that sci-fi can look very dark and run down with textures like Dead Space and Alien Isolation the lighting with it too is very dim and darken down along with very dark textures and areas. In horror games you can also come across rooms where they are fairly dimmed and has furniture or something on show.

Here is a screenshot from Dead Space, another horror game. This picture is illustrating the light and how it looks more viewable in what you can see here. As the lighting looks functional and very well see able its a change in aesthetics compared to Alien Isolation which looked rundown abandoned. Dead Space looks dystopian although it looks functional the feelings just look dystopian and off putting, the same can be said about the textures. The feeling of this environment being unsafe to be around, the same can be said about Alien Isolation but it looks like a space science lab the way its designed, with Dead Space it just looks dangerous and the textures of the game back that statement up as well.

No Man's Sky is a good example of textures for sci-fi related/themed games, as well detailed it looks its also pleasing too with the textures looking gentle and nothing menacing or to scare/put you off. With No Man's Sky it looks like the developers (Hello Games) went with a low poly look, it doesn't look realistic as Star Wars (image above) it has its sense of realism with the low poly, and its something I like and something I went with during my design although having some textures looking dark but having the design of stuff kept as low poly.

Sci-Fi Colour Scheme

This is a screenshot from my final product. With my colour scheme I kept the colouring dark on the walls and the flooring a little bit light. With the furniture itself in this room was kept same with a basic wood grain colour apart from the wardrobe having the doors a little bit darker. Even with the lighting it compliments the room making it look alive and somewhat pleasing to be in or around. For a space station in the future having its texture how it is looks good to go, although the texturing being rushed I kept a scheme going and a pattern in things. With the table I feel like I could've made it a little darker but the sofa material is light. But all together I liked how it all went. Compared to other games I've looked at, it is the complete opposite of what I've done from looking at dark and gritty environments, lighting and texturing I have taken that and made something alive and functional, with light and dark textures being mixed well along with a good lighting to make it alive.