Samsung Challenge

 Been working with my team from last year in the Samsung Challenge. I've been as one of 2 environment artists creating underground environments for a 2D puzzle game on the Samsung Tablet. Though the 2D art I've been producing is very cartoon like, which is not the more realistic, painterly style I would like to improve on, it has helped me improve on my photoshop skills.

Playing around with Alphas to get a glowing look to the environment. 

Making rock variants for different levels has taught me how to use blend layers properly

We ended up getting into the finals with our game, winning 3rd place after being sent to London from Samsung.

New Group structure

Line of Command

At this stage, I have 3 weeks to get my characters finished.

Low Poly Characters

I have the majority of the low poly versions modelled. The torsos are all below 10000 tris. I think the proportions look correct, but its difficult to tell without a head model. I stuck a placeholder head model onto the male character and it seems okay though I can't find one for the female one. I'll see any problems soon enough when I start sculpting the head. 

Simplifying things... New Characters

The characters will be designed to fit a common multiplayer class based shooter environment. Character models will be optimized so that they can work efficiently in the environment. Character class must be easily identifiable, but remain consistent with the group aesthetic.

GROUP IDENTITY

A group of high tech maintenance/combatant personnel which work in a large scientific dome like structure. The large environment is specifically designed as a simulator,  very similar to the "Tron" environment. The character's are called in to repair the environment when the AI controlling the dome goes rogue, where they need to defend themselves from electric based enemies.
Below is a list of traits that make up the culture of this group, detailing elements that will be used to reinforce this. 


GROUP TRAITS:

1. Trait :Technology Driven 
Reinforcing elements :

1.1 - Shape/Silhouette - Hexagonal/Angular Shapes

As military technology advances, shapes tend to become more angular. This is mainly to reinforce stealth technology, but we can easily connect simple angular shapes with an advancement in technology. Military Planes, Ships and Vehicles are becoming more angular in design as time progresses.

Left: U.S.S Independence : State of the art littoral combat ship. Example of  angular design on contemporary military weaponry

The hexagon is also a shape well associated with technology. It has been used multiple time in games such as the title sequence in Metal Gear Solid 2, a game where the story focuses on technological control over information.
 See : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifPZsRgJIXE. In Crysis 2 and 3, the technologically advanced enemy faction use hexagonal patterns on their clothing and weaponry.
The hexagonal shape is used often enough for most people to assume that there is something technologically powerful with its use.

Belltower Characters. Use of very angular patterns on the clothing

1.2 - Rank/Status/Heirarchy - Sleek, Sharper angles the higher the rank

In most cases, rank is often shown through increased amounts of decorative items and clothing, often becoming less functional and more symbolic. Character "eliteness" is also often shown through the use of less common equipment and clothing to show that they vary from the standard variation. Character rank can be identified through sharper, more decorative shapes, which act less functional with the increase of importance of a character, acting as an important symbolic element instead. This less functional element reinforces the idea that the character is more of a decision maker, but the increase in angular shapes can show that the character is more technologically powerful.

1.3 - Form - Ergonomic

Ergonomic gear suggests that the equipment is well designed to suit the human form. It is visible that a lot of thought has been put into how the technology of this equipment is adapted to suit the individual.

1.4 - Weapons - High tech, Non conventional

High tech weapons reflect the groups reliance on technology. The unconventionality of the weapons also suggest that the characters are not military, but are more technological specialists, which reflect their very unusual working environment.



2. Trait:Organized
Reinforcing elements :

2,1 - Clothing/Texture/Fabric - Clean, Simple, Numbered, Named

Clean and simplified clothing shows discipline within the group, showing that they are very professional and take their role seriously. Numbered and named items also show that the individuals and equipment are well tracked and identifiable.

2.2 - Colour - Matching, Consistent

Consistent colour scheme means that the team is easily recognizable together, and shows discipline as well, reinforcing organization.


3. Trait:Well Funded
Reinforcing elements :

3.1 - Texture - Shiny

Shiny materials are often associated with wealth. Expensive products such as phones and cars often contain a lot of gloss and glass. Shiny equipment should give an appearance of high price materials. It is also associated with technology and high technology items are directly linked with price.

3.2 - Clothing - Brand names

The clothing and equipment will contain a lot of labels showing off the manufacturer, as if it wanted to show off the name as if it was a brand. Paying additional for brands are a sign that you have excess money to spend.



GROUP ROLES: 

Designing my characters around common archetypes for shooters.

1. Scout
Reinforcing elements :

1.1 - Form - Light Weight
1.2 - Proportions - Thin
1.3 - Equipment - No protection
A common class in almost any class based shooter, it appears in some shape or form. If a game classes their roles by weight, like Brink for example, the lightest class is often the most nimble and fastest.

Brink - Light class.

They often contain no, or little armor but make up with it through speed. There thin, sleek features make their shape easy to read as a scout. They also carry lighter, fast firing weapons to fit their speedy aesthetic. Even with games with classes that are more specialist, this light class is often present in some shape or form. It is suited for players who prefer a faster paced play style.

Battlefield 3 Assault

2. Assault

Reinforcing elements :

2.1 Clothing - Standard Clothing and gear
Often the most played character due to it's balance and flexibility to deal with situations, the character often has standard issue clothing to reflect its commonality. As it is often the middle ground of all classes, designs often use the Assault as a base to vary themselves from.

2.2 Form - Decent protection
This class is often the middle ground, providing decent damage and protection, but with the expense of agility. Of course, not as slow and hard hitting as a heavy weapons character, there must be enough protection visible to identify the character as a combat specialist.


X. Officer/Leader
Reinforcing elements:

Killzone 2's main antagonistic leader Visari

The final character doesn't fit into a playable role, but one that is non playable. This character will appear in the environment or through cut scenes, but will not be playable due to it being in a non-combat role. This character would act as a VIP for escort or protection modes.

X.1 - Equipment -  Non Combat gear

X.2 - Form - Decorative
Like the previous high ranking character design, the decorative aesthetics show a position of power.




GROUP INDIVIDUALITY:

1.1 - Clothing - Consistant, Human, Functional 

I wanted to retain a slight sense of individuality with these characters, but not so much that a player can not relate to them. As the environment is multiplayer, each character must retain an equal feel of individuality as I didn't want one class feeling more important than the other so there must be a good balance between characters. I want the characters to be feel fairly human as well so a player can relate to them. I wanted the faces to be kept visible so that they can feel more human, with the rest of the equipment fit for purpose to solidify them in their role. Like the characters in Binary Domain, each character has a unique personality, however it is clear that they are a disciplined and professional group as their equipment is completely fit for their role.

CHARACTER DESIGNS
I designed the characters based on standard shooter type archetypes. Electric based weapons are filled with charge points in the environment.

"Linker"
The first design falls under the scout type archetype. A fast and agile female character who has the role of getting to one place to another very fast, utilizing speed and agility to defeat an enemy. Using light weaponry, the overall silhouette of the character is slim and sleek. I added light clothing, and almost no armor to emphasize how light weight the character is.
The character wears the standard light uniform, which features seams that are very rigid and sown in a very angular, diamond shaped way. The limbs are covered with a clean, lightweight material that is very shiny and light. The character is female as female's are often seen as the faster, more agile characters in games.

Clothing is clearly labelled with the number, which identifies her position in the team, and a letter which identifies which section the team belongs to.The feet are designed to be very ballerina like, offering flexibility and comfort over protection as the characters role calls for fast agile movement. Clothing is very tight fitting in areas, making the character very aerodynamic. I added the hexagonal "link" scarf to make the speed of the character more visual when the player is moving, as the end will trail behind the character. The shoulder pad acts as armor to protect the arm and face on the side where she isn't holding a weapon.  I added this mainly to make the character more asymmetric to increase its visual appeal and make the silhouette stand out more. The class is easily identifiable by its lack of armor, trailing "scarf", and thin, fragile figure, that represents the classes low health and high speed. 

 "Fractal"
This character is designed round the standard "assault" type archetype. Acting as the most common type of class, the character must feature a medium amount of protection. The armor is supposed to absorb electric based weaponry. The angular shape of the armor really give a high tech, and unconventional vibe that I was wanting. The character still wears the standard clothing, but features a hardened vest under the armor for additional protection. The shoulders are very large so that the character class is easily identifiable as the more protected class as the silhouette is bulkier and appears stronger. The stereotype that males are often physically stronger is used to determine the sex of this character.

 This character uses fairly heavy weapons, but its downfall is speed and agility. The class sacrifices speed over protection which is clearly shown by the bulky armor.  Similar to the scout character however, equipment and clothing is clearly labelled with role and squad. The armor also boasts manufacture names as they are very expensive pieces of equipment.

"Matrix"
This character is designed as a non playable character. I designed this character to create a sense of rank and hierarchy within the team. With the role of being a scientist, he acts as the equivalent of an officer in a comparable military hierarchy. Ranking higher than the rest, he makes the decisions, but he is not a fighting character.
This is shown through his lack of military clothing and labels. Though the colours are still consistent with the lower ranking characters, he lacks the ugly brown color that the others are ordered to wear. His civilian like, and rather decorative lab jacket is very sleek and minimalistic in design, which shows precision and certainty in his character role, but the lack of any lighter tones reflects the dark nature of the character.

This character shows the split in the hierarchy which separates the brains from the brawn.

Player's relation to a group.

As a result of my case studies, I have a better understanding on how a player can associate themselves with a group of people. The more similar a group's traits are with the player's the easier it is for a player to associate themselves with the group, which is why the antagonists in Killzone use clothing and equipment similar to contemporary gear. A player who is comfortable with the people around them will be more willing to work together that team. On the other hand, if the team's culture is completely alien to a player, a player will want to play against that team. Antagonistic characters often have actions that do not conform to a player's social norms, which is what makes players work against them. The structure of a group can make interactions within the group very personal, or impersonal, which can help grasp a sense of scale within the group, as well as make the differences and gaps between ranks clearer.

Killzone 2 : Group Traits

During my meeting with Ryan, we talked about my study of humanism and individuality in Killzone 2. However, I had to look into the visual nature in a lot more depth.
I continued to look back at the characters in Killzone 2, as well as 3. It was also interesting to note how within the Helghast faction, Additional group traits in 3 subtly divided the hierarchy of command into further sub-categories.

V2.

The methods in which groups of characters are categorized into teams are through the identification and creation of distinct contrasting visual elements reflective of the group culture of a team. 

The criteria that is used to separate a team is limitless, however,  visual elements such as colour, form, size and even race allow a player to identify these differences easily and help reinforce the criteria that defines the teams group culture.

Taking Killzone as an example…..

Humanity is used as the criteria in which both the antagonistic and protagonist teams are defined. Visually, the teams can easily be identified by a clear contrasting colour scheme of characters with dark tones versus characters with lighter tones. If we look closer however, we can identify additional contrasting elements that allow us to postulate a level of humanity within the characters of each team.

Overall, Humanity is the category that is used to define which teams are the protagonists, and the antagonists. The former being the ISA, and the latter being the Helghast. Individuality is a sub-category that is used to reinforce this.

Individuality is represented through the design of the ISA characters in Killzone 3 through faces that are a lot more varied and visible. Clothing is a lot lighter, and comfortable, designed around the needs of the character as a human being whereas the Helghast wear clothing that seems a lot heavier with emphasis on protection and survivability. This gives the helghast a bulkier, heavier appearance which is easily identifiable through silhouette, and the ISA a more agile, but fragile aesthetic.  Whilst the Helghast uniform and equipment is a lot more standardised, the individuality of the ISA soldiers in KZ3 is reinforced through a larger, varied selection of clothing, swapped out throughout different locations in the story to adapt their uniform to different climates.  The ISA characters have the freedom to wear whatever they want. Unique clothing items such as hats, scarves, hoodies and balaclavas to customize and enhance their uniforms in a very individual way to make their character stand out from one another. Not only does this reflect their mercenary like nature, but it also shows a character’s individual preferences,  supporting their nature of a human being. The clothing used to make Helghast characters stand out on the other hand appear to be issued based on class, with the character having no choice in their appearance, representing oppression and discipline.

Subtle Nazi references on Helghast characters such as colour schemes, symbols and items of uniform references a group with a culture that is deemed immoral which again helps a player to detach themselves emotionally from the faction. Often referred to as Space Nazis, the situation is akin to allies versus axis in visual terms. Even the leaders are based off leaders who are deemed bad, or evil such as Stalin and Hitler. Additionally, the ISA are akin to more contemporary western military characters with archetypes that are a lot more familiar to a player, the rag-tag element giving them the underdog appeal.

Rico and Jammer, a Hispanic male and female are also introduced in killzone 2 and 3 in the ISA faction. The diversity of races within the ISA are more unique and relatable on a personal level than the faceless, emotionless Helghast characters.

Rank –

In Killzone 3, a larger number of more varied characters are introduced to both teams.  The Helghast army is further categorized into 2 armies.  One army representing the standard helghast infantry, and the other, representing the soldiers of the wealthy and technologically advanced Stahl arms company. With technology and wealth acting as additional criteria used to separate the army into 2 categories, further visual cues are used to represent this visually. Whilst the regular soldiers sport very rounded shapes, specifically the roundness of their helmets and rounded structure of their bulky bodies, the technologically advanced troops contain sharper, more angular aesthetics.  

The sharper appearance, not only making them more of a threat psychologically due to the angles, reflect current military technology becoming more streamline and angular. The aesthetics of these soldiers mimic this through sharp angled helmets and armour to represent a tier of technology above the standard units.   

More ISA characters are introduced too. These characters use a larger variety of clothing, both civilian and military to adapt their uniform to the conditions, reflecting their need to survive within the planet. Many of the characters not choose not to wear helmets, further distancing themselves from the helghast and making them feel more human.

It was interesting to note that the separation of the Helghast into Military, and Company character within the same faction, with differing group traits ended up concluding with the leaders of both categories, both being in the same team,  fighting each other at the end of the game.
Though in my honest opinion, I think Killzone 3's story was terrible, but for other reasons.

Killzone 2 : Hierarchy, Individuality and Symbolism

Killzone 2 is a great example of how humanism and individuality can be used to relate a player to a team, whilst secluding them visually from the other...

Case Study : Killzone 2 Character hierarchy analysis

As one of the initial flagship releases for the PS3, Killzone 2 boasted an immersive and graphical experience brought forward through realistic visuals and iconic character design, namely the antagonistic Helghast race the player must fight throughout the game. The purpose of this case study is to examine how visuals reinforce character abilities and how it links with the hierarchy of units within both fighting factions within the game, analysing the elements that make the helghast faction both iconic and memorable.

AESTHETICS AND INDIVIDUALITY

The design of the 2 opposing factions varies greatly within the Killzone universe. The design of the Helghast characters revolve around aesthetics that create a very dark atmosphere. For example, Guerrilla games wanted the sniper character to be designed in a way to make him feel as inhuman as possible. The idea behind the character was to create a very ghostlike adversary with a cloak and backpack which created a hunchback like pose, and extended hood which blends into his torso and hides his face to create a very sinister, non-human feel with only the glowing red dots of his mask piercing through the shadows. In single player these dark, inhuman like elements create characters that a player may find alien and hard to relate to on a human level.
To comply with the alien atmosphere, the sense of individuality is removed completely within these characters; the face masks aiding the removal of personality and units sporting a very limited unified colour pallet, where the characters act as more of an asset of war rather than a living being. These aesthetics are consistent with the helghast team culture of an efficient and merciless war machine. 

The ISA on the other hand are designed to feel a lot more relatable to the player. Visual elements are more human which makes it a lot easier for a player to relate to. The player’s squad in which he works with throughout the game all have faces with distinguishable features, which define them more as an individual with a personality rather than an asset. The human association with the ISA drives immersion as the ISA character hierarchy and team culture are together more relatable than that of the Helghast, usually forcing the player's perspective of the ISA in a positive light.
However, the ISA protagonist's short-sighted view of the Helghast people as inhuman beings additionally making them difficult to relate to, being seen as a negative trait by some. Following the release of KZ2 and 3, a minority has come to favour the Helghast. The storyline ended up working against the character design, as players sympathised with the antagonistic faction, seeing them as misunderstood and oppressed. (r)

Killzone 2 enemy types grouped in order of appearance

Enemy Type                               Health                  Level of Appearance      Occurrence in Game

Assault infantry                          50                           CR                                           Very High
Rifleman                                    50                           CR                                           Very High
Support Trooper                          50                           CR                                           High
Shock Trooper                            50                           BM                                         Very High
Commando                                100                         SD                                           Medium
Grenadier                                  100                         SB                                           Low
Advanced Assault Infantry           75                           SV                                           Medium
Sniper                                      50                           SV                                           Low
Advanced Shock Trooper           75                           TR                                           Medium
Pyro Trooper                            150                         TC                                           Very Low
Elite Shock Trooper                  100                         TC                                           Low
LMG Trooper                             75                           VP                                           Low

RANK

One of the defining factors of the helghast is the structure of their military hierarchy. In this case, hierarchy refers to the characters in terms of level. In Single player, enemies are gradually introduced to the player in a sequential manner. Characters are categorized in a hierarchy of ability and difficulty; the lowest, most common enemy is at the bottom and more specialized or difficult enemies higher up. Traditionally, it is common for the lowest form of enemy to be introduced first, which in this case is the Assault infantry. Further up, we are introduced to increasingly difficult characters as well as specialist units such as the sniper and the pyro trooper. It appears that the higher the unit appears in the hierarchy, the more they deviate from the common grunt (the Assault Trooper) visually. This hierarchy pushes imbalance between units, allowing the enemies to be introduced in a way that allows a gradual increase in difficulty comparative to the players increasing skill level.

SYMBOLISM
Helghast Hierarchy

Political 
Scolar Visari
Admiral Orlock
Chairman Stahl
Board of Chairmen
Military
Colonel Radec
-
-
-
Military officers
Infantry

The separation of class within society plays a large part in defining the helghast as a group. Throughout Killzone 2 and 3, the common working class character differs greatly from the Helghan leaders, with no middle class present. Powerful characters, such as the board of chairmen in KZ3, and Scholar Visari all have a design that is a lot more decorative and symbolic, with slick attire coated with medals and helghan décor which represent the wealth and power of the helghast nation. The lower class however, have attire and accessories that are purely functional. One of the easiest identifiers of class is the iconic mask, which represent the working class profession according to the official killzone timeline (r). This is further established through in game cutscenes and promotional artwork depicting the helghast wearing the masks in harsh, poor environments. These identifiers form a useful tool that enables a player to easily identify a character with a position of power in the game.

The design of the main antagonist of Killzone 2, Mael Radec, takes these elements into account and uses them to establish his high ranking position within the hierarchy. It is clear that he is in a position of power through elegant and ornamental design; suitable for his role of military advisor; however, the presence of the iconic mask still places him in the category of soldier. This is reflective of his personality as an outstanding tactician, but not one of a political leader. 

However, on the multiplayer side, all sense of rank and hierarchy are eliminated, or rather, flattened to give players an equal ground. By removing rank, each character focuses more on a unique ability. In a way, there is no longer a common unit in which ranks compare themselves from visually and therefore each character stands out a lot more individually, however, by giving each team an identical counterpart on the other side, the sense of individuality is broken down as it puts emphasis on the player’s role rather than character. The class based system doesn’t stress the importance of one character over another, but rather forces individuality through select abilities. This focus on an imbalance of ability opens the game to more engaging and evolving game styles.  In a sense, the idea of individuality, or lack of, is blurred in multiplayer as the focus is shifted as a team from that as a rank system to that of a class system and is dependent on if a player chooses whether or not to stereotype themselves within their class.

CONCLUSION

It has been identified through this case study that Individuality itself can linked to the hierarchical structure of the team, where symbolism can be used to further categorize characters in the hierarchy and reinforce a character's position, rather than personality. The large gap between classes, and hierarchy that stresses functionality rather than personality helps develop an iconic antagonistic group identity which is quickly and easily identifiable. It was also observed that the level of human association with a character helps prompt favourability, as seen with the inhuman elements on the Helghast and ISA characters; not just aesthetically, but additionally through team culture. 

Framework

My new and improved framework. I could cut it down at "Reinforcing visual elements", but it would be useful to specify some of the criteria that I will be using.

Framework

The group identity, or team culture is defined by certain traits that are associated with that group. Each trait has associated visual elements that are consistent throughout each character in the group which combine together to create a group aesthetic. These elements can consist of many things, as long as they can be easily identified by a player.  Individuality and Roles are parts of these traits that form the group culture.A well thought out group hierarchy also helps define the structure of the group, increasing immersion through believably.

Below are a list of some of the criteria that can help define a group aesthetic...

1. Shape/Silhouette
2. Size/Scale/Structure
3. Colour
4. Harmony/Disharmony
5. Clothing/Fabric/Texture
6. Individuality
7. Weapons