Essay Update

Finished my essay a few days ago, thought I make a quick post about it. My essay explores the production design of Valve's 'Team Fortress 2', a classed based multilayer game released in 2007 as part of the Orange Box package. Since the games' release, there's been a total of 97 updates for the game, 97! That's roughly one update per week - talk about supporting your product.



As mentioned before, the visual style changed dramatically throughout development, later favouring a cartoon 50s - 60s industrial look with key design and gameplay issues in mind, such as the need to quickly identify character classes from each other. Thus, some areas I looked at was their inspiration for the art style such as rim highlighting, character design lead by silhouettes and impressionistic environments.

I'm a little up on the word count, which I hope is fine. Other than that, I quite enjoyed writing the essay learning the way in which Valve approach their games in production design.

Plateau Concept #2-2

I've been struggling with this piece with things not turning out as I intended. After some helpful feedback from Simon Holland, I gave it another go to see what I could do.

Before


Feedback by Simon was to pull back the camera with additional details such as figures for scale, which should help the composition overall.

My attempt

I tried fixing the image as Simon suggested, pulling the camera back to reveal more of the plateau, raising the pterodactyl above and some figures crossing the tree. I don't think I've pulled it off too well as its clearly still lacking. Having worked for some time into this image with little avail, I think its best to move on rather than struggle onwards. I know it can be a shame to leave a piece behind but one has to make these decisions and know when its time to move on especially with the end fast approaching.

Plateau Concept #2

Had another go at portraying the plateau entrance of the Lost World, where the heroes use a make shift bridge from a tree to ascend the plateau. I tried a more dramatic composition with this one.

Beginning shapes

Refinements + details

More details colour adjustments, tried blocking in the addition of pterodactyls to break up the composition

Lighting


I'm not quite sure about this piece, think I lost it somewhere along the way in what initially had some potential. At the moment, I don't think the piece is working in giving the correct and theatrical sense of space, where the pterodactyls seem too obvious for my liking. Gonna take a break from this and see what else I can come up with. Let me know any thoughts or constructive feedback to be had, and if the piece can still be saved.

Forest Concept #3

Some more work into the forest concept, working to finalise the piece with details and colour.

Before


Refined composition with added finer details to foliage and allosaurus. Also adjusted the figure in a more dynamic pose with an addition of a second figure moreover in the distance; one approaching with rifle in hand to assist the other, who has fallen along with his hat in agape of the stalking dinosaur.

Begin blocking of colour

Lighting - with huge trees and a overhead canopy of branches, only finer rays of sunlight are able to penetrate and get through.

Final tweaks in colour and contrast


I'm really pleased with the way the piece has turned out, compositionally in portraying a sense of space and depth, as well as being theatrical with a huge dribbling dinosaur and sense of scale. I also feel the piece is balanced with three main focal points of the figures to dinosaurs head and foot. Overall, this may most likely be one of the three final pieces for submission.

Sample of source text I was working with, from the beginning stages in forming the concept of a forest piece. Faithful enough I hope, whilst still being original.

How shall I ever forget the solemn mystery of it? The height of the trees and the thickness of the boles exceeding anything which I in my town-bred life could have imagined, shooting upwards in magnificent columns until, at an enormous distance above our heads, we could dimly discern the spot where they threw out their side-branches into Gothic upward curves which coalesced to form one great matted roof of verdure, through which only an occasional golden ray of sunshine shot downwards to trace a thin dazzling line of light amidst the majestic obscurity. As we walked noiselessly amid the thick, soft carpet of decaying vegetation the hush fell upon our souls which comes upon us in the twilight of the Abbey, and even Professor Challenger's full-chested notes sank into a whisper.

Well, I'm keen to know what you guys think. Any thoughts and feedback is still welcome for anything that I may have missed.

The Lost World - Online

Found Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's entire novel of 'The Lost World' online, with some lovely original illustrations to accompany the text. Wished I found this earlier, though it probably turned out better this way. I maybe able to post some of the source text I've been working from in my concepts - now that I don't have to type it out.



Link here

Forest Concept #2

Returned to work on my previous forest concept and take it further. Earlier, I noticed a little lack of secondary focal points to play on as tutor Phil also suggested. Thus, I felt the the composition suited the addition of a dinosaur or another sort of creature to work with, which would further emphasise the sense of scale and space within the piece.

Before


Started to block in the silhouette of a Allosaurus dinosaur - one of many species encountered in the Lost World.

Played with the scale for a more larger than life theatrical composition

Some added details and refinements to the general composition

I am pleased with the direction the piece has taken so far, feeling it has the potential to go all the way as a final piece. Its working much better with the addition of an Allosaurus dinosaur working as another focal point to the piece where it was previously lacking, perhaps even a little sense of drama too. Will continue to work on it soon enough, with refinements, lighting and hopefully colour. Thoughts and feedback most appreciated.

Some references I used for the Allosaurus.

Plateau Concept

Another quick concept, with colour this time. Still working a little loose as I'm still playing around with the plateau still, not quite sure how I want to present it.

Basic blocking

More shapes + refinements

Details + colour

Lighting and included canoe boat figures for scale.


I'm fairly satisfied with the piece so far, though think the piece could do with some more refining and details if it was to go all the way. I may try some more compositions and see where it takes me. Any hear thoughts or feedback again most welcome.

Forest Concept

Moving on and working with some different concepts, here is something better I came up with in the workshop. Following my earlier thumbnail concepts, this piece captures the forest of Maple White Land where the prehistoric life resides. Having been untouched by man, I wanted create a sense of wild overgrowth with huge looming trees with trunks similar to the stranger fig tree. Worked in black and white to really nail down tonal values and I felt the use of contrast and lighting would be key in this piece.

Basic shapes and composition

Refinement + details

Further adjustments, details

Contrast and added details


I quite like how the image is turning out in terms of composition and creating a sense of depth and space within the piece. Looking at the piece now, perhaps its missing another focal point to play on. Well its still a work in progress, I will most likely return to this piece to take it all the way with further details and colour, perhaps as a final piece. Thanks to Phil for some pointers in this piece.

Any thoughts and feedback would be most welcome.

Concept + Digitial Painting Workshop

Was working on this piece in the workshop on Friday, trying to refine my earlier thumbnail concept of the scene where Malone is atop a tree to take in the breadth of the landscape. Was sort of struggling with this piece to capture a better sense of composition. So Phil came in to help with some more success.

My initial attempt

Phil's added help

The scene takes place during the evening, so I began to experiment with some colour before all was lost.


Overall, I was feeling kinda dejected with the progress of this piece as it wasn't quite working for me. I find nothing worse when trying to force yourself to work with a piece when one is not quite with it, so I ended it here to move on. In time, with some fresh eyes and clear of mind, I may return to give this composition another go. But for now, it remains as another experimentation to learn and move on from.

Thumbnail Concepts #2

Experimenting with some more compositions to work with and get ideas down on paper. I have a number of scenes running through my head, one amidst the depths of the forest, a scene capturing the entrance or scale of plateau and perhaps a wide landscape shot where the our Malone is able to take in the entire breadth of landscape having climbed atop a tree.



Will be taking some of these into photoshop to play with.

Resource Images #3

Found some great inspiration while working with some more reference images, predominantly of the Tepui plateau of Venezuela as suggested by Simon.

Street Scene - UV Mapping #3

Finally got the Street scene done complete with UV mapping. Took a long time, but is pretty satisfying once everything starts to fall into place. I hope everything turned out fine with the UVs as I had to fix some rogue one's floating about.



Windows + Door UVs

Front facade UVs

Stairs/railings/street UVs

Road UV


I also found the solution to my earlier problem of bevelling after committing to some extruding, turns out I had 'Keep Faces Together' off causing some problems. Not to fear, as I patched up any faces that went awry after extruding with some merging.

I'd like to think I'm getting better with each task, being a bit more efficient successfully solving some rogue problems. Though, I think time will surely tell when we start creating our own dictated objects.