Our Pipline Presentation

Plane Animation With Scene

 

In this animation I add a background into the scene to give the right environment for the vehicle. I also animated a camera into the scene that follow the plane to give it a dynamic view of the movement of the plane. 

Animation of Model

 

I thought I would animate the piece to show how the plane would work when in the environment. The next step would be to create a more realistic style on the turns of the plane.

First Renders

Here are some of my renders of the model I have created from the concept art I was given.

 The first three renders I wanted to capture all sides of the model so you can get a clear understanding of the model.

 

 In this render I captured the concept art as well to show the similarities and difference between then.



 Here I wanted to do an action shot to capture the model in the element.

 

 

Finally a plain shot background to give a simplistic style to the plane and minimize distractions.

Halloween Scene

 

Here is my Halloween scene I produced, in the near future I would like to animate a camera panning round the scene.

Maya - Amination Assault Course

Assignment 2 - Comparison of my Own Review & Critical Analysis

  Comparison of my Own Review & Critical Analysis

The review I shall be comparing to mine is the critical analysis that covered in my first comparison you can see this review by clicking here. I found in this review he spoke a lot about the Batmobile, one of the main controversial topics of the game on how it felt very repetitive. I did go into detail about the Batmobile but mostly spoke about the atheistic and how it reacted to the environment. This shows that we both covered different elements of the game for example I covered more of the looks and background of the game whereas he covered the actual physical game play. I feel I should have cover the controversial topic of the Batmobile so if I where into improve further I would have so, thus also giving me a more balanced opinion of the game.

We both used chunked paragraphing and appropriate pictures within are reviews giving them both a very professional look and giving the reader the impression that this review is to be take seriously and a lot of effort has gone into it. I feel that by using this layout I found it easier to separate topics of the game so the reader would be able to clearly understand what I was covering in each paragraph. Hansen has done similar and feel this is really effective to creating a very balanced review. Overall I think the layout was successful in what I wanted to achieve which was to give my review a professional look.

In comparison we both gave explanation for our views about he game for example I state 'At some points the combat feels very repetitive in the sense that it feels like you can approach any situation in the same way you did with the previous however there are some element that force you to use certain gadget to counteract this'. As you can see I explain as to why I felt it was repetitive and how the game tried to improve this, thus giving a very balanced opinion. This is similar to Hansen's when he states 'The Riddler side mission sums up Arkham Knight's issues fairly well. Apropos of nothing, he becomes a racing aficionado and constructs massive death tracks beneath the city to go with his death traps. This is to cram more Batmobile segments in.' He explains as to why Rocksteady did this which is to get the most out of the Batmobile. The only difference between mine and his is that there is nothing to counteract the issue which justifies as why he feels it is relevant to bring up. To show the reader what they should expect out of the game.

Overall I tried to aim for my review to be a critical analysis and by comparing it to Hansen's review I am able to distil the elements of a critical analysis my review has. An example of this would be the chunked paragraphs and appropriate photos for the layout of my review. I feel by comparing a biased review and a critical analysis also helped see elements where I should stay clear from, for example I found within the biased review there was limited explanation and a very one sided opinion so from this I learnt that I should come across as having a very open opinion about the game. In conclusion I feel like mine and Hansen's review are very similar which in effect suggest I was succsesful in presenting a critical analysis review.

Assignment 2 - My Review of Arkham Knight

Review of Batman Arkham Knight

 

Batman Arkham Knight is the third instalment to the Arkham series made by Rocksteady Studios or can be claimed to be the forth if you included Arkham Origins which was made by Warner Bros. Games Montréal. However due to the different developing studios it is a very controversial topic in whether it is included. The game is once again set in an open world like Arkham City except it is the abandon streets of Gotham due to the Scarecrow’s threat of a new fear gas. The all out purpose of the Arkham Knight seems to be that the legacy of Batman is dying, after years and year of apprehending these criminals so many times Batman has seem to of lost touch. They no longer ‘fear’ the Batman they only see him as something in the way of their ultimate plan. So the overall purpose of the game was to almost tie up loose ends to revamp Batman, the image above is the last image that we see at the end of the sequence. As you can see it’s not the Batman we have known for last four games, suggesting that there is a new series to come with this different and even darker twist on Batman.

Overall the content of the game has gotten progressively darker, the villains are almost fighting for personal reasons now, for example Poison Ivy is fighting for the plants whereas Harley Quinn is fighting for the Joker who died in Arkham City, it isn’t ‘kill the batman’ anymore each villain seems to have a large independence during the game. I feel this was a great element to the game due to the fact that we experience this personal with the characters a definitely made me become more emotional towards the story. An example of the personal level was the scene in which Poison Ivy sacrifices herself to save her plants and clear Gotham of the fear gas, the fact that she does this for her own reasons not just because ‘Batman told her to’ was a great element to the narrative and overall made it a better experience. We also saw the return of Jason Todd the original Robin, due to years of torture it’s left him quite hateful of the Batman and having this gave Batman as a character of how he has effected so many people and even done a bit of damage, this also ties up the loose end of what exactly happened to Jason.

Arkham Knight was released 23rd June 2015 on Xbox One, PS4 and PC however due to a problem with the optimization of the game to PC it was taken off the market for a short time, I feel this was a large flaw in the game however I had no experience of this due to the fact I played it on PS4, this issue I will take in to consideration though that it did leave a few players displeased. Rocksteady being the studio that made had a lot of pressure for this games success due to the large success of Arkham Asylum and City, in the player’s eyes there was a lot to live up to. This has also been Rocksteady’s main franchise in gaming as they have only released one other game which was titled Urban Chaos Riot Response, I didn’t do as well as The Arkham Series so as you could understand the studio is almost resting on the success of Arkham Knight.

The plot is spilt into main sections of the game, we start with the main threat of Scarecrow threatening to release a fear gas onto Gotham that will turn it into a ‘city of fear’ causing a civilian evacuation. You then are meet with having to save Poison Ivy from the Scarecrow due to the fact she refused to join the rouge team of villains he set up. After saving her you take her into custody. Batman then returns to his base of operation in which oracle is waiting. She discovers the source of the toxin is located at Ace Chemicals.  When he gets to the location is his confronted by the Arkham Knight a mask figure. Once getting through him and his men he locates the Scarecrow who has turned the entire building into a bomb that will blast the entire with the fear gas, he reveals that he has captured Oracle and gets away as he intoxicates Batman with the gas.  Batman is able to control the blast radius and is met by the Joker. We then are flashed back to reveal the five people that were infected by Jokers blood who are all slowly turning into the joker including Batman who is able to conceal it. For Batman the Joker follows him a mental projection throughout the game. Further into the game Harley Quinn gets hold of the four infected people in which Batman slowly recaptures, however one of the infected end up killing them and then committing suicide as he believes that Batman will become the perfect Joker.

The Scarecrow story then continues when you are then lead to believe that Oracle commits suicide due to being exposed to the fear gas, however it is later reveal as a hallucination and Batman ends up saving oracle.  Scarecrow ends up covering the city with the fear toxin. You are then forced to team up Poison Ivy to use her plants to clear the City of the toxin this ends up killing her in a final noble act in saving the city. The Arkham Knight is later reviled as Jason Todd who was your original side kick but you thought he was dead, until it is later revealed that he was tortured by the Joker. Scarecrow ends up making the Arkham Knights forces assault on the police station as a distraction as he kidnaps the Robin and Gordon the commissioner. To save them Batman surrenders to Scarecrow, Scarecrow then reveals Batman’s true Identity. Batman is then intoxicated multiple times with the fear gas to break him but instead enables him to stop himself from becoming the Joker. Jason Todd then frees him to a let him apprehend Scarecrow and intoxicate him with his own gas, the Scarecrow is then taken into custody. The game then ends with Batman activating the ‘Knightfall’ protocol in which Him and Alfred enter Wayne manor and then it explodes suggesting the death of Batman, this is all to protect all of his loved ones. The final sequence is a monologue by Gordon while two criminals attack a family but are confronted by a nightmarish figure resembling Batman (First Image of the page one).
As you can see the plot seems to get progressively darker which relates to the dark action genre. It really creates that dark tone it has to the Batman Arkham series that shows his job isn’t just cool gadget and explosions it defiantly becomes gritty at elements in the story such as when you go through the hallucination of Oracle committing suicide it is a very emotional scene in which you see the dark side to a super detectives life, this could also be resembled in the way his super suit progressively becomes more damaged and worn out thought the game and reflect this dark twist on Batman. This also gives an explanation to the end as to why the Batman is almost forced to be reinvented and come back as something more fearful, suggesting a totally new Batman series from Rocksteady.

The colours used within the series are quite dark shades of grey black, this is obviously due to the Batman being his main colours however the city also resembles these colour due to the fact it is set at night. I feel this creates a really gothic effect and fits well with the whole narrative, resembling that subversion of the perfect super hero/detective life and how the story get progressively darker. The only bright colours shown are normal used to represent characters and give a clear difference between other characters. An example of his would be The Riddler, he wears a Bright Green shirt in the game with him wear the this colour it helps to link other elements of the game to him like the Riddler’s trophies that you have to collect all around Gotham also share this colour. Overall this seems to be the general style of the game, the dark shades of colours and then abstract colours to help form a characters style or identity. All of this combined synergises really well with the high poly models mounting to a very aesthetically pleasing game creating a very cinematic style to it.

You play the sequence in third person view which I think works really well with the cinematic gothic style as you get to really see it penitential and take in all the incredible environments the game has to offer as well as the combat looking very fluid. This also helps give Batman a personality to combat as you get to see the way he moves in the actual combat, overall it ends up giving him a very smooth look which synergies well with his cape animation definitely pleasing to watch. Whereas in some parts of the game you do use a first person view when the sight isn’t of importance and to also give a sense of tight spaces, for example whenever you climb into a vent you go into first person giving it that feel of the space becoming smaller. This is also used well in the sequence where you play as Joker in Batman’s mind, the fact you play in first person represents how he is trapped there and you feel this as a player due to the first person view being implemented into the in tight spaces. Overall the spacing is used very effectively through the use of third and first person view cameras.

I feel the graphics were standard for the time it was made for a cinematic styled game.  Good high poly models for characters creates a really athletically pleasing look to the game. The high poly models synergises really well with how they react to the environment, an example of this would be the   Batmobile.  If you were to crash into a wall or a building it would break it or it would react to the impact of the car thus generally adding to the pleasing look of the game. Having these small features and so much effort go into the models really created a realism effect to the game and also combined with the use of colours used with the models help clearly Identify the characters. To enhances this even more the animation used with the setting really helped bring out the realistic effect of the objects and how they would react to the environment in real life. An example of this would be Batman’s cape, when in combat it flows correctly with the model for example when you stun an enemy the cape flicks as he moves with his body working in sync with the model, this shows the level of detail that the game has gone into.


Within the sound track the use of violins and wind instruments are quite frequently used, this I feel fits really well with the theme of the game as it builds suspense towards the end of the game and highlights the end of the Arkham series so a major conclusion is going to take place. Overall it created quite a dramatic tone which I feel is a key element to a cinematic style game, there is also and adaptation of the original Batman theme tune with these instruments. I feel by them adapting the theme tune is one of the simple ways to separate Arkham Knight from the other games in the series it also reflects a form of progression and that things have changed from the last time we left Batman. The sounds of the Batmobile are very immersive in the sense that it fit very well with the style of the car, the sounds are very futuristic and metallic which fit well with the style of the car. This is also within combat, there is use of different sounds when you hit certain enemies, for example when you hit The Riddler's robots it makes a sound like hitting tin whereas when you hit a human is sounds more appropriate, overall this makes the game more immersive and run a lot smoother.

When it comes the to mechanics of the game I feel they were good. The combat is simple for those who didn't want to pull off the fancy combos but at the same time there is always a guided system when in combat to assist those who want to. The fact that there are some many ways in which you can approach a combat situation is really good, there are various gadget you can use to aid you in combat or stealth and I feel this freedom works really well. The only downfall would be that at some points the combat feels very repetitive in the sense that it feels like you can approach any situation in the same way you did with the previous however there are some element that force you to use certain gadget to counteract this.

In conclusion I think Batman Arkham Knight is a generally good game. I feel the plot is very diverse with characters and involves a lot in the main plot as well as having smaller plots for characters with less of an influence to the main plot. Overall due to a lot of arc happening with the plot like the Joker’s blood and the identity of the Arkham Knight really immersive you into the game as you are given little information wanting to go further into the main plot. The only problem is at some points you are unable to do the main quest if you haven’t complete certain side quests, this I feel is a massive floor as for some people they have no interest in the side quests so having the player forced to do them can be off putting. I think one major flaw was the combat, yes it works really well and is appealing to the eye but by the end of the sequence it becomes very repetitive in the sense I found myself just spamming the counter button when it came to fights, however me personally as a play didn’t go into to far into combos that the game has to offer but if you were a player who took interest in the fighting combos it would of felt less repetitive. I feel the game overall completes it purpose of ending the series of the Arkham Games and leaves it at a good point to take it further and reinvent Batman, a generally good game when it comes to the combat but I feel what made it most the plot and the way we got to see character’s like Poison Ivy and Batman himself develop.

 

Bouncing Ball Animation

 

Here is my first ever animation. We were set the task of animating a bouncing ball and overall I was pleased with the outcome.

Lego Figure - Modelling

 Here is a render of one of my first ever models. In this task we learnt how changing the model into '3' mode gives it a smooth effect and this is what we should render in. We took the blueprints of the original Lego figure to help us scale the model correctly I feel this really helped me when it came to '3' mode as I was able to get the correct proportions.

We used edge loops to help enhance the effect of the smooth to make it look like an actual Lego piece.



Assignment 2 - Comparing Reviews of Batman Arkham Knight.

A Comparison of Reviews for Batman Arkham Knight

This assignment I was set the task of comparing two reviews of a video game or film of my choice, one being a critical analysis and the other being a biased review. The critical analysis I am using can be found by clicking here. Due to demand of high quality critical reviews I struggled to find a singular biased review to I am using a page of user reviews that are a combination of various biased reviews, the site can be found by clicking here. I will then go into individual reviews and analyse aspects. One I have looked into the different aspects of the reviews that make them critical analysis and biased I will then compare them and try to distil why they have reviewed Arkham Knight in that way and with there desired opinion about the game.

The critical analysis review is named 'Long Halloween' and produced by Steven Hansen. The name of the review could be suggested as a reference to the main plot of the game being the taking over of Gotham by the main protagonist Scarecrow, a character that has already appeared numerously in Batman Arkham series. A scarecrow being an object often associated with Halloween suggests the reason behind the title.

The layout of the review is chunked paragraphing and relevant images of the game, this gives the review a very professional look combined with the use of facts about the game at the beginning of the review, this reflects how the person wants the review to be seen. For example the professional look has made look when it comes to first approach a review that is to be taken very seriously and has had a lot of time and consideration put into it. In comparison a majority of the biased reviews have a similar layout without imagery, however there is a use of slang and phonetic spelling, for example in Shayan_MU's review they use an exaggeration 'soooooo' within their review. This suggests that they're aiming for a less professional audience and want to express their opinion clearly, this is prove by the fact he/she is talking about how they think Arkham City is better and by using the exaggeration on the word which shows that they hold this opinion strong them. They could have made an explanation as to why he/she thinks Arkham City is better and gives evidence within each game e.g the plots of both of them, however by just giving their opinion on the game if this gives a very biased tone to the review. Overall the layout has a critical effect on both reviews as they both reflect aspects of there opinions on Arkham Knight.

One of the main points of criticism towards the Arkham Knight was the repetition of the use of the Batmobile. The user Shayan_MU continues to say 'They ruined it with batmobile , its get boring more and more ... boss fights with batmobile ??'. This clearly shows a form distress due to the Batmobile being implemented into the game. In comparison, Hansen's review covers this topic and states 'And of course the brings is to the Batmobile. It is cool and god awful'. Just this statement alone gives a very split opinion about the Batmobile being a main aspect to the game so then he continues to find out as to why it is so controversial and takes a look into the good aspects and the bad. He continues with the good aspects of the Batmobile, for example the fact the chase scene with the Firefly works really well with it and the fact that most of Gotham is destruct-able walls so there is limited crashing. He then goes on to talk about the bad aspects, he states 'all the work that went into it means it needs alot of screen time'. By stating this he has gone into depth and to find out as too why the Batmobile is so repetitive and it is due to the fact that a lot of the company Rocksteady has put alot of effort into putting it into the game therefore wanting to show this to the consumer. He then goes into further detail and says how the Riddler missions with the Batmobile feel forced and gives a justified reasons as to why it feels repetitive. Overall when it comes to the Batmobile I feel that both reviews have a strong opinion to the fact that it is use too much but the difference between the reviews is that Hansen goes into detail and covers the aspects of the game to understand why it feels so repetitive and gives a justified reason as to why so, therefore creating a more analytical review.

Overall both reviews have similar views and opinions but the large difference is that within the critical analysis he goes into further detail and justifies his point with his primary evidence from his experience of the game. For example he spoke about how he felt there was  'less punching this time around' but then went further and discussed he felt this was due to the Batmobile being added to it therefore removing a lot of first hand combat, justifying why he has this opinion and clearly explains to the reader what they should expect. Whereas with the biased reviews they just give a very strong opinion but limited explanation, for example the user Bernadet states 'Arkham City is the best game on the WiiU this is the worst Batman game I have ever played'. The user doesn't explain as to why this is so, maybe it synergies well with the Hardware? Or her/his experience with Arkham City was so good that they had very high standard set for Knight. See how this leaves the reader very confused. In conclusion I feel the biased review holds a very negative view towards the game because of the repetition of the Batmobile and there love for the second instalment of the series Arkham City. With Hansen's review his view of the game is that he agrees with the repetition of the Batmobile however he thinks it was a good instalment, this is proved by the fact he thinks it's 'more than ok' rating it at a 7 and his generally balanced opinion about the game. So overall they both hold similar opinions but Hansen seem to give a balance opinion and not only look into the bad aspects of the game but the bad aspects.                           

Maya - Creating Chess Pieces

This week we created different chess pieces and the board in they sit on. Here are a few of the renders.

 

This was a really effective task as I was able to use most of the tools in Maya, Including the hypershade tool to help improve me textures.

 

 I then played with the lighting to give it a really colourful effect.

Final Render

Here are my final renders of my 3D Lighthouse.

 

 

This is the view from my concept art, I think this work really well with the background and lighting.

 

Here are the rest in which I used compositions from images to see if they compliment the model

 



Renders - Draft

Here is my draft renders they are just to see if the positioning is effective and the composition is used.
 

 

Continuing My Concept Art

 

To help develop my ideas ready for my 3D Model and clarify key parts to the model I decided to go into further detail with my concept art. The Image above shows the front view of the lighthouse I am creating. I looked at the structure from my mood boards of representation to help me design this part to the building and I feel this really helped. I was able to add the patterns of the windows and the position of the light on top to help me see whether it represented the theme right and completed its purpose. 

 

 

  I then went onto looking at the actual light of the house and the position of the render. On the left is my ideas for the light and then my final choice, I feel like this was a good choice as the light fits the purpose of the lighthouse as it is able to rotate and deliver a clear light. I feel it also fits the theme as well by the key factor that it is very abstract and artistic. On the right is the position I want my render to be in be drawing this I was able to visualize weather it is an effective position. After doing this I feel it is very effective as I have a background to play with and fit all of my piece into the scene.

 

Overall I feel that using concept art has been a huge benefit to developing my 3D model as I was able to visualize exactly what I am aiming for.

 

Further Development of 3D Model

 First I removed the cube on the top to give space for the light, then I used the bridge tool to cover the hole of the polygon therefore the light would have something to sit on.

Here is a wide shot of the 3D model.

 I then created the light for my lighthouse by using the designs in my concept art. I created half of the image and then used the mirror tool to make it symmetrical.

Once I put the light in place I used a new blinn to give the light a glass style for the light to pass through.

 I then added a few colours just to help separate the sections of the model, I also grouped parts of the model in the outliners window.

Japanese Lighthouse Moodboard

To further my research I thought I would look in Japanese Lighthouses, as their culture is a huge part to oriental. From looking at these Images I see that their lighthouse still have the design purpose of a lighthouse, for example the curved structure yet at the same time have an abstract artistic feel to them. With the use of shapes and design, I feel this is how I want to represent the oriental style, by creating a building with the true purpose of a lighthouse but at the same time bring in an abstract artistic view to the oriental piece to truly represent the culture. 

Continuing the 3D Model

 I selected the vertex on top of the tower and scaled it in so I would give the curved style of a lighthouse.

 

 I then extruded the top on the tower to craft where the light is going to be held.

 

 Then I moved onto designing the roof using edge loops to smooth out the curves.

 

I then brought it all together and tried to play around with the ocean texture tool.

 



Concept Art - Early Development

 

Here is my first ideas when it came to design. I mapped out key parts to the model like the tower, like the bridge and the environment. I was able to also see at what perspective I want to do my final render and the style of lighting, for lighting the scene I will use and ambient lighting for the sunset and directional lighting for the light house, I have included this in my concept art. From this I was then able to add parts that are significant to a lighthouse and the culture. For example I am using smaller windows as that is a feature to a lighthouse. For oriental I am using the style of architecture like the roofing and adding objects that are normally considered part of the theme like the Chinese lanterns.

 

 

I then scanned in my concept art and added colour from my palette by using Photoshop. I felt this really helped define the oriental culture and made it clear or the theme. I feel this also helped create the peaceful atmosphere I want and will synergize well with the lighting. 

  

 

Beginning My 3D Model

I started with two faces of a cube and scaled them to the right side, I then added edge loops so I was a able to craft the faces.

 

I then used the vertex's from the edge loop to give the effect of a cliff edge.

 

I began to start building the bridge by scaling a cube and giving a lambert to it so I can clearly work from it.

 

 I created half the bridge and then duplicated it.

 

To create the rails I used a cylindrical shape and added edge loops so I could curve it.

 

Finished product.

 

Here is a stat to the basic design of my lighthouse.