proposal

GORMENGHAST

The Flood

Background

Over the next year I intend to put together the graphics for a single, but fairly extensive level of a theoretical computer game. I decided that I would like to take my work in this direction after putting together an environment using VRML, and discovering that I found the challenge of creating a convincing, atmospheric environment, using only a limited amount of geometry, a very satisfying one. The project I completed in VRML was related to earlier work I have done on Website design, which uses the same skill in 2D imaging, with low file size being paramount. Because of this work I already have a fairly extensive knowledge of 2D graphic compression and some of the tricks that can be used to keep small images looking good.
Another area I have found particularly of interest in the last year is the use of texture maps on three dimensional objects. As I have had considerable previous experience in using Adobe Photoshop, I was pleased to discover that these skills were very relevant to 3D modelling, particularly the more advanced areas of image manipulation such as channels and tiling. I believe that both these interests make computer game graphics an obvious direction for me to follow, as an important skill needed is being able to work with low polygon counts (small amounts of information), using texture mapping as a substitute for more complex geometry.
This is combined with a long term fascination with computer games. Over the last 10 years I have played games from Amiga, to Atari St, to my PC and finally to the Playstation. Increasingly I have become excited by games with quality and innovative graphics.
As the computer games industry is continuously developing, I believe that this is an area that will continually provide new learning experiences and excitement. And as I would like to work in this industry I believe that a good background knowledge of the necessary skills, backed up by a working demonstration of my capabilities would be a good way to start.

Inspiration behind level

The game level that I am proposing will use three dimensions, as my primary interest is still with 3D modelling. I would like this level to exploit the advantages in 3D gaming. There is potential in 3D for an entirely new kind of game that is not always realised.
"… the 3D technology in Quake allows for a level of immersion and excitement that was not found in 2D games….In Quake’s case the 3D technology created an entirely new game."(1)
I am interested in producing a game from a feminine perspective. Most games are produced by boys for boys (with the occasional exception of an insultingly cute game for teenage girls, or younger) and I believe that a huge market is being ignored. I personally know as many female gamers as male, though the games they play are subtly different. In my experience women are more interested in gameplay, and total involvement than in all out shoot-em-ups. In my own case there is also an interest in the graphic environment but this may well be due to my personal interest in computer art.
" I like to play carefully, think things through, and not just rush in with gun’s blazing. Where’s the fun in that? Must be a man thing… I don’t like games with no story. I can recognise plots that are just made up for the games, as a sort of add on for the end, and this annoys me. I want a story or history to unfold as I am playing" (2)
I have been directly influenced by three games for different reasons. The first is Abe’s Odyssey, which in fact is a 2D game, for its innovative use of graphics and sheer beauty. The pre rendered sequences mesh together seamlessly with in game graphics and the silhouetted foreground against stunning backdrops lead you to forget that you are only playing in two dimensions. The second is Tomb Raider (1, 2, and 3) for its huge immersive 3D environment, particularly the underwater sequences. I think its strength is in realism, as it works best in the earlier archaeological levels, and loses its conviction when the later levels become too fantastical. The third game is Silent Hill, which is still to be released in the UK. This game has a chilling atmosphere that has never previously been achieved in a game, and that is accomplished by the use of lighting and music, and clever texturing of simple models.

Outline of Level

I have always been interested in literature, and most of my undergraduate work in photography was of an illustrative nature. For this reason I have taken my inspiration for the level from the books "Gormenghast and "Titus Groan" by Mervyn Peake.
The level would be played in a somewhat similar way to Tomb Raider, with the player taking a part of a Character (probably Titus Groan, the main focus of the book, and eventual slayer of Steerpike) and guiding them through a series of puzzles, involving interaction with other characters, and overcoming obstacles, and finally ending with a confrontation.

The Environment

The level would be set in Gormenghast castle, a highly thought out imaginative world. The castle sits alone in a desert, surrounded by a high wall, and has been unchanged since time immemorial. The castle was built very gradually and has no set style, some areas exhibiting a gothic grandeur, others a very English homeliness. It is filled with secret passages and mysterious rooms. During the events I would like to focus on, the surrounding desert is flooded and the water level gradually rises within the castle until only the highest towers are accessible. The image of ancient crumbling splendour being submerged beneath floodwater is a compelling one. The environment is extensively described by Mervyn Peake. He was also an artist and this is clear from his books which are very much concerned with painting an image onto your imagination. I would like the style of the graphics to be in keeping with his descriptions. I have chosen this subject because I believe its style would be a satisfying challenge to recreate and its implementation could work as a counterbalance to the modelling limitations set by real-time rendering. I would only model the interior of the castle for in game play, creating a more detailed NURBS model of the exterior to be used in the introduction and pre-rendered sequences. I have already started on a prototype of this for my final first year project.

The Situation

The level would be based on the incidents towards the end of the second book when one of the characters (Steerpike ) reveals his homicidal nature and goes into hiding. However he cannot leave the castle due to the flooding of the surrounding desert. As the hunt for Steerpike progresses the waters rise higher, cutting off access to the lower levels, and I believe this an excellent device for manipulating gameplay, as well as providing an interesting challenge in Graphic design. There would be various characters to interact with, and I would take these straight from the book as character development is one of Mervyn Peake’s greatest strengths. I will outline a few here as an example.

	TITUS GROAN; The story’s reluctant hero would be the character under the players control. He dreams of escape. "If he should leave the castle! The very notion of it made him shake with a mixture of fear and excitement. His thought was so revolutionary that he glanced at his mother's back to see whether she had heard his mind at work." (3)
	THE COUNTESS GERTRUDE; His mother, a strange massive woman who is followed about by her tribe of white cats, and flocks of wild birds "Her eyes were of the pale green that is common among cats. They were large eyes, yet seemed, in proportion to the pale area of her face, to be small. The nose was big enough to appear so in spite of the expanse that surrounded it. The effect which she produced was one of bulk..." (4)
	LADY FUSCHIA; Titus’ sister "A girl of about fifteen with long, rather wild black hair. She was gauche in movement and in a sense, ugly of face, but with how small a twist might she suddenly have become beautiful. Her sullen mouth was full and rich; her eyes smouldered." (4)
	STEERPIKE; The main protagonist "His body shuddered with a kind of lust. It was the lust for an unbridled evil. It was the glory of knowing himself to be pitted, openly, against the big battalions. Alone, loveless, vital, diabolic--a creature for whom compromise was no longer necessary, and intrigue was a dead letter. If it was no longer possible for him to wear, one day, the legitimate Crown of Gormenghast, there was still the dark and terrible domain--the subterranean labyrinth--the lairs and warrens where, monarch of darkness like Satan himself, he could wear undisputed a crown no less imperial." (3)

The Gameplay

The books have a Gothic, sinister feel and I would like to carry this through into the gameplay The situations presented to the player would be unusual, and the outcomes unexpected. I would try to avoid a linear progression to the game. As the game progressed the player would find out more about the characters and their relationships in unexpected ways. The gameplay however would be secondary to the graphics as this is where my interest lies. It would be used to set an atmosphere for the graphics to follow. The sinister twisted turns of the story would be reflected in the graphics.

Technical Implementation

The game will be modelled using polygons, keeping the numbers as low as possible. Beside this there will be an introduction and some in game pre-rendered sequences using NURBS, but attempting to keep the feel of the game as close as possible to the real-time graphics. Some in game rendered sequences will simply take the graphics used in gameplay and animate the camera and control the viewpoint of the player in certain areas to add atmosphere to the game; for example at a suspenseful point in the game the camera may leave the player and look back and down at him to emphasise the fact that he is alone.
A lot of work will involve textures and lighting effects. These will be created using Photoshop, Power Animator and Maya, which I wish to spend some time learning. To this effect the outside pre-rendered sequences will also be produced in Maya. I will concentrate on producing innovative and striking graphical effects with the help of colour. I believe this is a largely unexplored area of the game industry ( with a few exceptions; see Abe’s Oddyssee above), where most games aim for (and fail to achieve) realism or a cartoonlike effect.

Final Presentation

I have several options for the final presentation of my Proposal. My main restrictions are due to the fact that I am not a game programmer, and in any event I would not have the time to programme something of this scale alongside my other work. Therefore I will implement one or more of the following compromises

Pre Rendering
This would involve setting up a fairly extended sequence within the game showing key elements of the gameplay, as well as the pre-rendered sequences. The characters would be animated as in gameplay and it would include all the key graphical elements. It would be accompanied by an explanation of the polygon count and how it would run attached to a game engine. This would have several advantages. Firstly it would allow me a lot of freedom in the design of the game, and I could set up the polygon count to whichever specifications I desired. As I will be looking into the specifications of the Playstation 2 this could allow me considerable freedom, for example in the use of fog and lighting. Secondly it would make an easily accessible showpiece of my work. Thirdly it would be very simple to put together, making it a possibility for combination with another form of presentation.

Collaboration with a games programmer
This would provide me with the ideal vehicle for my work, and allow me to present it as a playable game. As I am not a programmer I do not know how much work this would involve. The disadvantages are that I would be unlikely to be allowed full control over the form of the gameplay, and I would be dependant on the skill of a 3rd party. I have not yet looked into this possibility, but I intend to do so over the summer, approaching Universities where game design is studied.

Interactive VRML Walkthrough
Here I am on much firmer ground as I have worked with VRML before. VRML can provide limited interaction but essentially it would simply be a walkthrough of the environment. The disadvantages of this are that VRML has only fairly limited graphics capabilities. It would however make a viable alternative to above. It would be accompanied by a full explanation of the gameplay.

Using an Existing Game Engine
There are several engines belonging to existing games such as Quake that are available for public use. This would allow my environment to be played as a game, and provide a good vehicle to show off my graphics, however the game would not be my own. This would also necessitate a limited knowledge of how game programs work, but as this is something that interests me it is not a problem.

Research

I intend to accompany my work on this game with continuos research into game design and current innovations in real-time graphics. This is primarily because I like to know a lot of background information on a subject that I am studying, and the subject is of considerable interest to me. I would like to find out as much as possible about the specifications of the Playstation 2, to be released next year, as what I have heard of it so far is very exciting, and as yet it is an unknown quantity even amongst game design companies. I intend to work with a games design company over the summer to get some hands on experience in the industry and I hope that this will provide me with fresh ideas, and help me focus on the most important issues.

Conclusion

My aim is to produce an attractive and interesting game level that is convincing and immersive, achieved through attention to detail, that uses fresh and original graphics, and innovative ways of working within restrictions. The game would be designed with female players in mind. Alongside this I want to educate myself in current techniques used by others to achieve these aims and learn enough about general game development to be able to integrate my work with it

(1) Scott s Fisher Telepresence Research inc., Glen Fraser Softimage inc. ACM Siggraph, May 1998
(2) Catriona Bremner, Scottish female gamesplayer, interviewed by Scottish Games Alliance www.scottigames.org
(3) "Titus Groan" Mervyn Peake
(4) "Gormenghast" Mervyn Peake