Call of Kebablhu:
Thanks to Zac Duff for creating the concepts for all of the background levels for the game, with his inspiration and art style woven into each concept, I was able to refine them into their pixelated forms. Taking a step back after working on them for countless hours, seeing them being in the game and being able to view them as a whole is quite nice, I will admit it wasn't easy following the exact colours used in the concepts, especially when it came to gradient effects, fabric looks and reflections, but putting the effort in to get those things looking right in the first place makes all the difference. And getting good reactions from fellow team members when they noticed those efforts makes it worth while. Plus it helps if the images can be 32bit coloured bitmaps, as it doesn't limit me to the colours I can use.
These last two images are of the variety store that sells rubber ducks, and the food court where the player is able to finally obtain his well deserved kebab. I personally quite like the glow of the neon signs in the variety store as the green and reds bounce around the store and contrasts well with the ducks, probably making it one of the more brighter areas in the game (even though it's set in the dark).
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| C.O.K Variety Store |
This here is the food court, not the cleanest of all food courts (are any of them ever?), but it looks used and abandoned, just how it was imagined. And in a crazed effort, I managed to pull off the shiniest of metal doors, which is intended to be the second focal point to the kebab shop anyway. Again, using the right lighting helps direct the viewer's attention to what is going on and what will happen next.
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| C.O.K Food Court |
Phoenix
Having pre production done and dusted, it was time to get cranking on texturing models. I was able to find a whole bunch of withered and stained paper textures to use for level props like the explosive barrels and control panels, part of the "dirtying up" process to making the facility level less squeaky clean. I also used cardboard textures to give particular models a more solid feel to their structure. Crumpled, folded, lined, inked, coffee stained etc, all these effects of paper make up the what you see down below.
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| Explosive barrel textured |
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| Control Panel textured |
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| Crate textured |
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| Assault mode textured |
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| Recon mode textured |
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| Shield mode textured |
For the majority of the play testing phase, we had a place holder HUD which would show the energy distribution between weapon ammo, health, and jump boost available to recon, assault and shield modes of the player. Recon mode would be able to jump higher for longer but lack the ability to shoot, whilst assault mode would distribute more energy to weapon ammo, and shield mode allows the player to take less damage and regenerate energy. And just to add a little continuity to the art style, the HUD also has a textured paper style applied to it.
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| Phoenix HUD |
It's a big moment for all of the 3rd year gamers, wish us luck!
So remember kids, if you're doing any kind of art, if you want your audience to be drawn to something in particular, or direct them to where to explore next, use lighting to guide the way. Think of it this way, we are like moths, dragged towards any light source, even if it means getting your mind blown out your arse.
And if you're texturing objects for a game, be sure to consider the hygiene level of the place you're texturing for. Hardly any place is 100% spotless, so adding even a little bit of dirt to your textures will give off a more realistic feel, no matter the art style.
