This post is supposed to reflect on the process of design a game in VR. I don't have a lot to say about the actual designing of the game since most of the work I did was more about 3D modeling, so this will actually mostly reflect on that. Let's just say, this has been one of the most stressful projects of my life, I'm freaking out a little bit. Deadlines are very difficult to hit, and learning as you go only slows down the process. However, I feel like I have learned a lot and created decent work.
You can go to my selected works page, or even my VR DSA page in order to see what work I have actually done, but basically it was a lot of modeling of objects around the room. One of the main things I learned is every model needs to be as low-poly as possible. You'd be amazed at how many objects really are in a room, and how much lag it can cause. Moving into modelling the whole school, I definitely need to work on making lower-poly models, and learn a lot more about how textures and bump maps work. Though I have not seen the finished product yet, I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish in terms to making a VR model for the first time. I hope that the process will be a bit smoother next year because of all that we have learned as a group and with better scheduling and organization.
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So my brother just logged into our shared youtube account for the first time in nearly a year. This account was never something serious in the least, it was a place for us to make terrible edits of media to make bad jokes (known as YouTube Poops). Super cringey, super bad editing skills, nothing really original to speak of (but still within fair use I believe). Still, creating these terrible cringey videos, which now have thousands of views (who knows how?) was one of the best things I ever did.
Goofing around in artistic fields is pretty much the best way to improve at first. Of course later on you would want to do more structured and strategic learning, like actually focusing on specific techniques and everything. However, to start, just goofing around is great. When we first got our video editing software, my brother and my cousin and I had tried to make "more serious" videos before, and I got very perfectionistic, controlling, and frustrated. After taking a break, my brother proposed the idea of making these types of edit videos instead, and it was a great change. If something looked bad, it was okay. The videos were never meant to be perfect, just fun. And this got me over my fear of mistakes or not always making something flawless. Now, I've returned to actual original content making with videos - though I wouldn't say it's more serious - and my editing skills have definitely improved. I edit videos that my brother and his friend make together, and it's much more enjoyable, and since I learned so much about the software when making those goofy videos before, plus the editing education I got from class, I now feel a lot more qualified to edit videos. Yes, maybe I don't have any videos I would be proud to show on a portfolio, but I now have the skills that I need in order to start making work that would be higher quality. This idea applies to more areas of art than just videos though. Personally, I experience burnout and loss of motivation quite a bit right now in my life, and making art that is more silly or just plain weird usually helps me since it breaks me out of the monotony of constantly trying to produce perfection that others will view. Also, it can help you get over that frustration in first learning since if your art is supposed to be silly, you're less worried about whether or not it's very good. A lot of people stop drawing because they feel that they aren't as good as those around them, or aren't improving fast enough, and I think I may have done the same with video editing had it not been for goofing around with my brother. Again though, making completely silly art all the time is highly unlikely to ever make you great, but it is a good first step. After that I do agree that more formal tutorials and training are what help you hone your skills, so after starting with goofy stuff, it is good to transition into actual learning. I think I want to try to find a bit more of a balance where I learn to incorporate smaller silly elements into my work while still making something original and artful. This could be things like practicing character poses but putting the characters into silly costumes, or adding a dog into a piece, but overall I just want to find the balance between fun and still learning important skills. This is an older game, but I played it for the first time recently, and since it's slated to get a sequel this year, I decided, why not. Full disclosure, I have not yet completed the game, but I feel that I've played enough of it to make an initial review - but maybe if I have time this summer I will follow this up with a post reflecting on the end. Rad. That's the one word I would use to describe this game. The music is this really cool loop that, even after playing the game for quite a while, I never got tired of, and I would totally recommend listening to for fun. The characters have a little dialogue at the beginning, and it's very simple, but also adds a lot of charm to the game because the characters are very lovable and give off a very Spongebob and Squidward but if they were bffs kind of vibe. The art is not what I would consider very good, but considering the console the game is for - the sega genesis - it's not terrible. Despite my claims that it's not great art, I absolutely love it. Yes it's kind of bad, but it seems like that's the look they were going for and they executed it really well. Just look, and read the text next to the health bars: This game doesn't take itself too seriously artistically and that results in some great, goofy dialogue, some fun music, and a really unique visual style.
As for the gameplay itself, you're aliens stranded on Earth trying to get home. This Earth is set up in layers, and you have to explore the map to find an elevator to get up a level. You can also be killed by drowning or hazards, or just have your progress slowed by being pushed off of the edge of a level down to a lower one. Along the way you can find friendly NPCs as well as power ups that are shaped like presents, and telephones that will reveal some of the map. The game is, at least because of the chaos, challenging, but also really unique and pretty enjoyable. When you first play the game, you aren't given any sort of tutorial, but this is actually something beautiful. It fits completely with the story of being stuck on a planet that you know nothing about. You aren't exactly sure who or what is a hazard or a helper, you really have to explore to see. Even the powerups have unknown abilities, and you have to use one in order to figure out what that kind of present does, which can be good - healing you completely or letting you fly - or terrible - a lightning cloud that kills you instantly. Once you've tried a present of that kind, it becomes labelled from then on, so it really feels like you're in a new world just trying to make sense of everything. For the most part, the game is also very forgiving to allow for this sort of experimentation, which is very nice. Overall, I think I appreciate this game more than most people since especially nowadays we want games that are a little more intuitive. It also really lacks much substance in its storyline, so I could see that as another criticism. However, I really love it for just being such a goofball of a game and having such a unique feeling to it. It's really inspired me to try to make more art that is less serious while still being honest and reflecting real life feelings like confusion, even in such a silly way. |
AuthorHi, I'm Abi, a DSA student who likes games, drawing, writing, and acting. Archives
February 2020
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