Elements of Game Design- Planning and Concepting

The difference between doing projects on this course and working in an actual development studio when creating concepts is that I am working solely on my own and not being instructed by an art director or being restricted by any executive meddling. This is good for the creative freedom but it makes things more difficult when it comes to finalising ideas. Other than that though, the process is more or less the same.

The first step once the brief is set is to start collecting inspiration and researching the subject matter. The level of importance research into the specific details whatever you’re designing must have depends on how realistic the concept is meant to be. Most people on this course like to use Pinterest to collect reference but it can be quite helpful to save reference images you think you will want to use again.

Once you’ve started to get some good ideas you can start with silhouettes, thumbnail sketches, or both. It is important to come up with as many designs as time will allow, but also consider that you will start to run out of good ideas eventually . Krome Studios’ Adam Nichols says “I find the first idea is the most generic idea and has been done before , but by idea 6 you are rehashing ideas or running low on time”. However, it really depends on what you are designing. I have a habit of getting stuck on ideas fairly quickly and then regretting it later when I realise it could’ve been better. You won’t regret your decisions if you properly weigh up all your options so before you decide on favourites do as many sketches as quickly as possible.

 In this interview, Bioware concept artist Matt Rhodes explains that you’ll only need to do a couple of designs for something unimportant like a bartender, but more important characters can go through hundreds of designs and iterations.

If you were working in a studio you’d have shown whoever is directing you your ideas and been given advice on what ideas to develop before continuing development- many artists like to size their thumbnails differently to try and highlight designs they like to the director. After doing as many iterations as possible you would usually create presentable production artwork with the final design. This may be in-situ or on its own depending on the brief and purpose of the artwork. Sometimes artists choose to create a model of the design -especially with vehicles and other mechanical subjects- and paint over them. This of course takes extra time but allows for the final piece to be planned properly beforehand, ensures there won’t be any errors in perspective, and allows you to do multiple angles accurately and much faster. Sometimes the model can even be used as a base by the 3D artists when they make the asset. If you choose not to create a simple model, you can also make the 3D team’s life easier by providing orthographic drawings.

Personally, if given the time I like being able to model things first before painting them, though that is in part due to my current lack of drawing skill. Comparing the final pieces from my vehicle project last year I didn’t model first and the one this year which I did, I can see how the template helped an awful lot in allowing me to accurately portray more detail.

I think I still need more practice in going through the design pipeline as I have a tendency to rush ahead or put too much detail in too early. The thumbnail stage is the most important one, so it requires a lot of deep thought and there is no room for perfectionism.

Other references-

RSI forum

Reflection on Year One, and Ambition for Year Two

The first year of Game Art has come and gone and the second year is now in full swing. This year is different for various reasons, in both learning environment and goals.

I found first year to be quite the learning experience not just for skills but for finding out how I work best. It was of course finding out the hard way, but it was worth a lot. The main flaw with my work ethic last year was the complete lack of structure. I was too keen to take advantage of the independence I’d been presented with and simply thought that as long as I got the work done, I had nothing to worry about. Now this sounds fine, it sounds like it would force me to finish things quickly and possibly leave time for fun at the end of the week, but really, my self-discipline is not nearly strong enough to work solidly without any visible end. There is no reward in sitting around procrastinating when you can’t force yourself to work anymore, and not doing anything you actually find fun as you don’t feel you deserve it yet. I tried to use the stress of deadlines as motivation but working until stupid-o’clock in the morning really wasn’t doing any favours for my general wellbeing.

I knew that being in a more work-oriented environment would help me to focus more, but I was reluctant to use the labs when there were so many other people in there, especially when scheduled lessons were going on. I also, of course, would need to get there at a decent time every day if I wanted to get a lot done as they closed at 7pm.

The biggest difference this year is the new labs, which give us much more space and stay open later, making regular use a far more viable option. There is always at least one room without a scheduled class so there is definitely enough space for most of us, though of course not everyone. This is where structure and time-management will be important- the only way to ensure a place in the lab is to arrive earlier than most, especially when deadlines loom and everyone wants to be in.

So far I am managing to stick to a good routine this year, although weekends end up being very much lacking in productivity as the labs are shut then. It’s reaching the point where I feel lost when given too much free time at home(not that that happens a lot) whether  that’s a good thing or not I have yet to decide!

As for the actual skills we are learning this year, it is going to be quite hard working to less constricted briefs as I worry a lot about the possibility of doing things wrong. I want to get better at finishing projects well and on time and I want to produce work that shows I have made progress. Small, hopefully achievable goals; another important lesson from last year- don’t allow yourself to lose hope.