Birthing

Lots of ideas have been coming at me this past weekend and now that I have internet access again I can finally get them out there. Sadly, I will have to just write them out as I am still lacking scanner access.

I've been sketching out the individual pieces that I will have to model in terms of architectural details. Columns will line the walls and between each column will be a a decorative arch, such as those seen in Gothic architecture as well as a brass statue of a warrior or a decorative sword in a pillar of skulls with a torch above it. At the base of the throne the entrance to the inner room with have two brass statues of Adult Ancient Greek hunting dogs, as one of the customs in certain areas was to sacrifice puppies to Ares before battle.

Inside the throne will be an altar where such sacrifices could be held and decorative motifs of other sacrifices to Ares. There will be a doorway that leads to a set of wooden ramps, similar to those inside the statue of Apollo in God of War 2, that will lead the user up to the Seat of the Throne.

Along the balcony will be 2-3 other smaller rooms or enclaves that will be dedicated to Ares, his progeny, love interests, and great feats. One room I had considered being dedicated to the Goddess of Discord Eris who was one of Ares mistresses and as well as family. One of the more well known stories about Eris concerns a golden apple that she used to make mischief but ended up inadvertently causing the the Trojan war.

The apple in question was one she left at a feast as a gift, "For the Fairest", that Aphrodite, Hera, and Artemis fought over. To settle the matter they chose a shepherd to decide who among them was the fairest. The Shepherd, Paris, was bribed by Aphrodite with Helen's love and so chose her to receive the apple. Unfortunately Helen was married and the rest from there is history.

I may make the room dedicated to Eris an area for one of the mini games and have it be a type of scavenger hunt. The user would roam the area trying to find the pieces of her statue, such as the apple she would hold in her hand, as well as other decorative details. Another option I have been looking into is an area where an Olympics inspired mini game would be held but I have not decided just yet. There is a story about how Ares was kept trapped in a Jar by giants who wished to wage war on Olympus which makes me think of creating a room and mini game where the user has to
choose the correct jar from many to release the soul of Ares.

One of the rooms/enclaves along the balcony will be the store for the users to visit. The other links will be accessed from decorative shields that will line the temple walls.

In the center of the temple between the throne and the door will be a large, waist height looking glass that, when interacted with, begins a mini game similar to risk that involves the player trying to conquer foreign lands.

The temple concept started out as a circular design but I may change it so that it is more of a spiral design to lead the user where I want them to go.

Screaming at Sketches

Things I have come to realize and remember while sketching:

Gothic and Greek Architecture can mix but the result will be something that looks nothing like what came out of the game or company I chose as my inspiration. Which leads me to the conclusion that I would be better off focusing on the Greek aspect of the Temple rather than the high flung Gothic aspects which, while present, will be minimal in the Game Space.

Game Space layouts are ridiculously simple, many times only taking place on a single level and are very straightforward. My Game Space layout will be simpler than an actual game level but not as straight forward as most of the currently available Game Spaces are. Hopefully this will make the Space more interesting rather than annoying to explore.

The art skills I currently posses are not adequate for designing and sketching architecture. Now I remember one of the reasons I was so hesitant to go into Level Design, my art skills when it comes to environments and buildings leave much to be desired. A small obstacle, but one I will work on overcoming.

Without access to a scanner to show the sketches the Space will take place in a Greek temple. When the user first walks in the will be facing a large throne that has a doorway which allows the user to go inside of the hollow throne. The room leads to a ramp/staircase up the back of the massive throne to the seat.

If the user chooses to not go into the doorway then they can go up the ramps/staircases on either side of them that lead up to a balcony area that follows the walls all the way around the temple. There will be two or more cloisters/rooms that the user can enter from the balcony area which will eventually meet at the seat of the massive throne where multiple users can gather.

The back of the throne will be "carved" with images of Ares and will be where the Streaming Video will be playing as well as where the entrance to inside the throne from the second floor will be.

None of this is set in stone. I still have to come up with a mini game idea or two and create a "level" for them as well. I believe that I put the minigames in the smaller rooms along the balcony though if I keep to this layout.

Moodboard Madness

This is the moodboard that I will use in the conceptualization and design of my Game Space which will be a Gothic Temple dedicated to the Greek God Ares. The moodboard is composed of visual references as well as a color palette for me to start with. I expect that as time goes on and I get further into the process the moodboard and color palette may change to include a wider spectrum of colors or I may decide to take colors away from the palette.



Please click on the image to enlarge it.

It has Begun!

The overall breakdown of this project is to design and create a Playstation Home Game Space in the Unreal 2004 Engine in the Styles of the God of War, and Assassins Creed series by Sony Entertainment. The company that inspired me to do this is a small company in the UK called Outso. Outso Ltd. works for Sony in the creation of virtual environments and content for the Playstation Home.

The idea of creating a Temple to one or more of the Greek Gods using Gothic Architecture greatly appealed to me. So Using the God of War and Assassins Creed games as an inspiration I will be tackling the challenge of making an effective Game Space that takes place in a Gothic Temple to the Greek Gods without infringing any of the Licensing set by Sony, Outso Ltd., or any other company.

Research thus far includes:

Watching user posted videos of other Game Spaces on the Playstation Home.
Watching videos of Gameplay and Movies for God of War and Assassins Creed.
Reading Greek Mythologies pertaining to the Gods.
Studying the history, Art, and layouts of Gothic Architecture.
Browsing images on the web for inspiration.

One thing I am trying to do is find a way to access and use the Playstation home feature of the PS3 for myself. Watching videos does offer insight but I would like to experience it for myself. As I currently do not have a PS3, (Blasphemy!) I will have to rely on the kindness of good friends to allow me to use theirs.

The images I'm using for inspiration will be the beginnings of my Moodboard.