Independent Practice Week3:Ship Research

During the design process i became aware of the problem that had occured in my previous project and so i went back and started to research into ships that i will base my space pirate ship off of. The reason i will base my space pirate ship design is from watching Treasure Planet as i liked the unique design that the ships took along with technology and the overall theme of pirates carries on into the ships design although it will be more of technological space ship. I researched through many ships, finding one which stood out to me as unique in the shape that it takes and once i went further into the research of the ship i found that this is the ship to base my designs off of. Going with the 14th-15th century ship, the Carrack, the reason being is that after researching further i found that the Carrack ships design depending on the design could hold between 40-80 crew members, large amounts of space for cargo and because of the stability could mount large cannons. The Carrack had specific features such as a rounded stern, the bow sprit rising from the front of the ship and three or four masted sails.

Another reason for choosing the Carrack had been from the most famous ship the Santa Maria, which Christopher Columbus had used in his first voyage to America in 1492. The reason for this had been because it was mentioned that the Carrack had been seen as difficult to navigate as the large forecastle catches the wind and gets pushed off course. Due to the navigation issues Columbus called the Santa Maria a 'Cow' and because of the maneuvering the Santa Maria sank. I found that basing my ship design off of the Carrack that because it was hard to maneuver i could use that to my advantage as my ship would be automated, from the space ship being automated i would have few crew members and the size would also play a part in how big the cargo would be and the weaponry room.

Having three or four masted sails would also be automated and going back to Treasure Planet i saw that the ship had been powered from solar energy, as the sails would open up to saok in the rays and would be stored in the ship. So i wanted to use the idea of solar sails for my space pirate ship and researched much more into the concept when i came across the first solar powered spacecraft, IKAROS (shown on the left) had been launched on July 9th 2010 and had collected radiation from the sun and was solar sailing through space. I will be using the concept of mirrors in the form of very tiny sheets to use the radiation from the sun to power my spacecraft which will use the sheets in the form of sails as the ships in Treasure Planet had done.

The next bit of research that i had done was the actual crash site looking into caves similar to what the setting of 'The Fountain of Youth' was for the Pirates of the Carribean. I looked at the formation of the rocks within the cave as well as the surrounding that form the overlaying interior of the cave to draw you into a focal point.

I looked at the greenery that could be used within as well as aroung the cave because i want to involve some aspect of water which would give the greenery life. From the research i found that the cave becomes very distinctive because of the amount light that is allowed to escape into the depths of the cave and show certain areas of the cave that have the tree roots and vines wrapped around the entrance and walls of the cave.

Another aspect of research that i had done was researching into spacecrafts that have already been designed and i found many unique designs which fit well into the space environment. Looking at spacecrafts for my project helped me to understand what a spacecraft has in the visual standpoint that makes it classed as a spacecraft other than being in space.






I looked at certain designs of the spaceship which benefit from the shape to, in someway be able to hide weaponry or engines from enemies. Engines, weaponry, texture and more fine bits of detail give spacecrafts their meaning. Many of the spacecrafts use very light colours, with few giving the shading of contrast the form of the colour for the spacecraft.

Independent Practice Week3:Chris Character Design Part3

Chris, during the feedback on the other character designs had given me little bases of what he wants for the main character design i had received these main characterisations for the character
"For the main guy I'm thinking a mix of the Mass Effect and Crysis suit and the head off the Killzone guy when he doesn't have a helmet on. Maybe even just a breathing mask too see what that might look like." "For the suit in my head it is a mix of Metal Gear Solid, Mass Effect and Crysis.The final set of character design i had an outline of what the design should look like from Chris' responses and along with them i received a couple of refrence images to go back to what Chris is looking for. As i designed the characters i had the mindset of not over complicating the design because if Chris takes design into the modelling stage the design might end up being too difficult to model, so i tried to keep to a basic design throughout the development.

With each of these first two images i wanted to create an armour for the character where they would protect key areas of the body and allow the character to maneuver. Having unique shapes to accustom the body shape of the areas they are protecting allowed for the character design to become unique. Underneath the armour, as Chris had stated would be a tough exterior of clothing that would protect the character as well as allow him to have a standard movement. The design of the helmet comes across from the shape of the head as well as the description that Chris had given of the character having a gas mask type design on the front of the face.

The last two designs i had designed from Chris' response of the Mass Effect 2 suits which are more block shaped, where as Chris wants a a design which wold fit the year that the game is set in where the designs would be smooth, sleek and would look a like a fitting of the body shape of the character. So i designed a more smooth spherical design of armour which forms around the shape of the character. The characters design as well as the previous two designs were done intentionally symmetrical so that if modelled the design wouldn't be needed to be done individually.

I am thinking practical yet with a hint of future design, so form fitting lightweight tough materials, knee/elbow pads.

Facially you will see I am thinking of Warren Christie from Alphas, good looking yet tough looking, hair you can play around with but shaved or like the Beckham is where I am thinking right now, keep the stubble beard and scar.

Colours black/white with the white being able too turn into camouflage so try to make it over the key areas.

Head wear I am not sure yet so hoping if a good design comes along it will settle it in my head, try some helmets and maybe a facial mask over the mouth, goggles/glasses that could incorporate some tech like navigation, night vision, thermal etc.

If it is possible I would like to see something by Monday for when I am in college next, to show too Annabeth, get more ideas.

Let me know if you need anymore information or to bounce ideas around."

Independent Practice Week3:Chris Character Design Part2

Finishing the insect mutated character designs i started to focus on the zombie character designs, first researching into zombies in general. I found having an image of the human skeleton was handy in designing the zombie characters if they have limbs that are so deeply damaged that the bones are shown. I looked at zombies with scars, limbs missing and then remembered the unique zombie characters that i had seen in the television production of The Walking Dead and researched into their designs finding that the zombies can look like zombies but still retain their human physical attributes.

Along with The Walking Dead research i went into researching zombies in games such as Dead Rising, the recently released Dead Island and seeing how the zombie character comes across within the game. Taking away from the research were that the zombies in general are classed majorly on their physical response with the way they walk and talk. But the visuals are showing the zombie aspect through injuries, rotting body parts, bones being visible, blood and hair loss.

I began to design the first zombie character to have distinct visuals which showcase him being classed as a zombie, with such things as a major injury, hair loss, limbs hanging off, shredded or torn clothing, bones being visible and scars. These little pieces of the design, all besides the right chunk of the stomach missing build together the visuals of a zombie as well showing the character was human from the clothing, body and face.

The second design i went with a more experienced zombie in the visuals of him looking like a zombie who had lasted a long time. This i feel is shown through the rough way the body is designed along with the very limited amount of clothing, with the clothing being torn and old in the design. The physical aspect of the design i felt i should make this design showing the fat and body being affected as it wears away along with the wounds of other zombies.

The third design i created the character being in the process of his body wearing away as you see the muscle. I kept the amount clothing visible on the zombie as well to further the realisation of the characters body wearing away. The clothing along with the body is showing visual afflictions as far as showing the characters leg featuring an injury so deep that the bones are visible.

I sent over the three designs for Chris of the zombie character designs and his response had been that i mistook the zombie design description as being literally zombies but instead he had wanted the character to act like zombie more or less being controlled by an insect.

His response had been, "for a 'zombie's I was thinking of a more normal looking human with maybe an insect attached too the top of the spine, sort of controlling the host. Maybe some scars or tears in the flesh from past attacks."

Chris had written that the character he wanted was one who was being controlled by an insect which has latched itself upon the back of the neck of the character and that the character should look like an everyday person but affected by this insect in the form of controlling the character. So i developed a simple design of a character wearing a shirt and trousers and the insects legs wrapped around the characters neck and because of the insect latching itself upon the character, small or large forms of mutation have grown on areas of the characters body.

Independent Practice Week3:Chris Character Design Part1

As i am doing research for my ship i was asked by fellow classmate Chris Rhodes if i could do some character designs for his project and the reason why i had agreed had been because as i do my own project i feel that taking some time away to design characters for Chris would give me a breath of fresh air. So Chris had sent me over the general overview of his project as well as what he wants from me, here is the email i had received-

The idea of game is that in the not too distant future the Earth is pretty messed up, no fuels, running out of room, pollution etc.
For the past 50-100years the main Government of Earth has being looking into space for possible new locations too set up a "New Earth", two were found and missions were sent there to test how it suited for us, oxygen/water/soil samples. The search was narrowed to two main planets but one of the scientists wasn't so sure about one of them, the samples seemed too good, had some anomalies but the Government looked over as nothing major and ,this as the planet was far larger than the other and closer.

This scientist was sacked after he started to cause trouble with the proposed planet move in the media and trying to get fellow scientists too agree.

Work started on the "New Earth" on building new cities, planting forests and jungles too get the planets oxygen level up to a better standard to meet our needs.

Every now and again a new group of people were brought up to help carry out work, scientists, builders etc.
The Planet has alot of Bio-Domes around, as outside of these the oxygen isn't very good so you have to wear mask, and when a major new piece of work is happening bombs go off around different parts of the planet, sending out waves of gas.

At first there is no real major sign of anything, but after a few months changes start to happen, the plant life start to grow larger, stronger, faster.

People become infect from the air supply and start too change, insect bites start to alter the genes of the people, they mutate and attack one another.
 
Contact with Earth is lost before any "major" changes are seen. The government get wary after the final report wasn't a very good indication of what's going on. They start to form a task force to go up and examine what actually happen.

One of the men on this team has a wife who is a scientist up on the planet and he is worried what has happened too her and her team.

......................................

So that's the general back story of the game.

The main character is your general good looking tough guy.
While the creatures I am thinking of a mixture of zombies and insect mutations!

So i understand that i am to create character designs for the main character, zombie and insect mutations. Having that as the goal and Chris telling me he didn't go into much detail but instead allow me enough room to design. I designed each of the character designs for Chris in the form of a T-Pose to allow, if chosen a simple transfer into modelling with the T-Pose as the basis.

I started off designing the characters for the insect mutations and began that design by researching specific types of insects that the audience will be able to know about. Looking at insects such as butterflies, grasshoppers, fireflies, ants i started to develop the characters by basing key limbs that make an insect, an insect. Wings, shape of the insect, the variation of the limbs these are the main parts of the insect i took into developing the characters. Using the key parts of the limb from the insects that i was using i started to develop the characters varying from the shape of the insects and the majority of the parts of the insect that are used.

The first design that i created i had taken the insect mutation aspect of the design as far as having only a few distinct areas of the body that show the human side. I designed the character to be affected much more by the insect mutation, showing that the legs of the character had bonded together, the arms being mutated further and wings being grown, insect limbs coming out and the stomach corroding to the point where the skin forms around the spine.

The second design went into 50/50 of the insect and human mutation as there were only a few areas of the body that mutated. This design was developed to show more of a human characterisation but used insect portions that were used to make the character unique and more of a weird look where the designs is not mirrored but instead have certain point of the body that stand out.

The third design that i had done was one which i took to the extremes and showing how the insect muattion had affected the character to the point where he could be a boss type enemy. As i had started creating the third character i previously sent over Chris the first two designs to which he replied stating to look at insects such as scorpions and beetles. So along with my previous research, i researched into these specific insects and used the scorpion in the development of the third character to where the design show what was left of the human as part of the tail of the giant scorpion and the character to have very limited amount of human bodyparts.

The final design i had come up with was again from the feedback i had received from Chris was that the insect mutated character having much more of a human aspect of the visuals. Using the design of a beetle i developed from that insect the character design to have a hard exterior across his left arm as well as the right leg and to have distinct insect areas added to the sides, shin and head. These type of design where the character retains much of his human side but certain areas are mutated to best suit its attacking and defensive duties.

Independent Practice Week3:Problem

As i was doing my space pirate ship designs when i realise that i am making the same mistake as my last project in the previous year. The problem being that i have rushed into doing the actual design process and not thinking through the essential details of the ship such as where the ships design is being based off of and such things as the backstory.

So i had stopped creating designs and started to do research into ships as well as the backstory. The fact that this issue was brought up in the early stages of the project gives me the opportunity to go back to basics and go into research for my space pirate ship idea to benefit from that research during the development stage.