Yung Siew Weng / 0339847
Art Direction /
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Lectures & Exercises
LECTURES
#WEEK 1
- No Class. Public Holiday @ Merdeka Day 🇲🇾 -
#WEEK 2
During this week, we received a module briefing from Ms. Anis along with a module and project briefing as well as the formation of project grouping.
Art Direction Lecture #2: Playful Experience
#Important Notes :
1. What is Playful Experience?
A playful experience refers to an interaction, activity, or engagement that is characterized by a sense of enjoyment, amusement, and lightheartedness. It often involves elements of fun, creativity, and spontaneity, and it can occur in various contexts, such as games, leisure activities, and even certain aspects of work or daily life.
#WEEK 3
Art Direction Lecture #3: Art Stylization
#Important Notes :
1. What is Genre, Style and Theme?
Genre - A category of production
Style - A distinctive appearances of the artwork
Theme - An idea that recurs in the work
#WEEK 4
Art Direction Lecture #4: Visual Analysis
#Important Notes :
1. Importance of Visual Analysis
- Help to create a direction of design that you need to work on- Breakdown of the observed game's strength and weaknesses
#WEEK 5
- No lecture. Public Holiday @ Prophet Muhammad's Birthday -
#WEEK 6
Art Direction Lecture #6: Visual Goals
#Important Notes :
When creating a visually cohesive and immersive game experience, the elements that should be focus :
- Lighting & Post Processing to give believable depth to the environment design and encourage immersion by a
djusting based on sun movement, light sources, and angles.- Choose color palettes based on ambient lighting to set the mood for each location.
- Ensure the UI/UX complements the game, avoiding distracting high contrast.
- Maintain consistency in player interactions, buttons, colors, and spacing.
- Ensure character silhouettes are easily distinguishable with unique attributes.
Exercises
MODULE INFORMATION
Art Direction - Exercise 1: Observation Studies
INSTRUCTION
We have required to conduct observation studies on both Among Us and Goose Goose Duck, and summarize the group's experiences into a presentation slide.
EXPLORATION
During our group's exploration of both Among Us and Goose Goose Duck (GGD), we gathered insights into the overall game experience and its connection to the game's art direction. [attached under pdf below]
Fig 1.1 Compilation of game experience
In Among Us, I really appreciated its straightforward and iconic character design. The simplicity of the crewmates and impostors allows for easy identification and adds to the game's charm. The game concept is clear-cut and has gained popularity for its social deduction mechanics. On the other hand, GGD offers a more intricate gameplay experience by combining elements from various popular games like Mafia, Among Us, and PUBG. It introduces an extensive range of character roles, providing depth to the social deduction aspect. GGD's art direction features comical and detailed character designs, with customization options that add humor and personalization to the game. The game also pays attention to environmental details, with a variety of maps and immersive sound effects, contributing to a rich and engaging atmosphere.
However, i had encountered issues with server reliability in GGD, leading to disconnections and frustrating gameplay interruptions. This aspect negatively impacted our overall experience. In summary, it can be concluded as Among Us excels in simplicity and iconic character design, while GGD offers a more complex and diverse gameplay experience with detailed art direction. Despite GGD's strengths, server-related problems were a significant drawback in my personal gaming experience.
Fig 1.2 Observation Studies, Presentation Slides
Feedback @ Week 3 / 14.09.2023
Good job! Your presentation is overall very comprehensive and interesting. It was very surprising that you all interpreted the knowledge that you had learned from UX design into this presentation.
Art Direction - Exercise 2 : Visual Analysis Study
INSTRUCTION
Consider how to present a new take of the existing narrative and set up a new art direction for the game Among Us. Use the good and bad art direction analysis from the games to help you find the sweet spot for your proposed direction. Determine the best stylisation to fit with AMONG US narrative for us to work on and compile the factors for stylisation range in a presentation slides.
EXPLORATION
After receiving the requirements of the task, our group prompts initiated a brainstorming session centred around "visual analysis". During this first phase of discussion, we are focusing on the positioning maps and stylisation range in order to get an idea of how or what art direction all the members pursue and wish to find a balance in between all of our favourites.
Fig 2.1 Positioning Map + Stylisation Range, Canva Board
On September 18th, which was a Monday in Week 4, our team had a meeting discussion. During this meeting, we collectively decided to finalise the media or art style that we would pursue. After deliberation, we settled on a combination of cute, futuristic, and abstract elements as our chosen art direction.
Fig 2.2 "Finalised" focused Art Direction, Canva Board
Following this decision, we divided tasks among team members to ensure the completion of our presentation deck by the designated deadline. Specifically, my assigned tasks included:
1. Highlighting and compiling affected visuals from Among Us and GGD.
2. Conducting art direction studies on "Animal Crossing".
3. Creating a moodboard for the new art direction we intended to apply to Among Us, encompassing character design, environmental elements, and UI design [All members]
Fig 2.3 The assigned part, Docs
Feedback @ Week 4 / 21.09.2023
- Amend the theme, genre and style as it should be the new art direction instead the original Among Us'.
- If targeting to a more playful settings, should avoid traditional weapon killing and aim for a more creative and playful approach, such as making enemies laugh to defeat them.
- Adjust the scope of positioning map to better categorise and highlighted the chosen art style range.
During the class session in week 4, we are required to extend our visual analysis by analyse our findings on determine the best changes that could fit the identified problematic areas by leveraging on the strength of the good parts. So, we had a discussion on the aspect that we must have, good to have as well as nice to have :
Fig 2.4 Visual Analysis Summary
Fig 2.5 Visual Analysis, Presentation Slides [Final]
FEEDBACK
Week 3 / 14.09.2023 @ Observation Studies
Good job! Your presentation is overall very comprehensive and interesting. It was very surprising that you all interpreted the knowledge that you had learned from UX design into this presentation.
Week 4 / 21.09.2023 @ Visual Analysis Study
- Amend the theme, genre and style as it should be the new art direction instead the original Among Us'.
- If targeting to a more playful settings, should avoid traditional weapon killing and aim for a more creative and playful approach, such as making enemies laugh to defeat them.
- Adjust the scope of positioning map to better categorise and highlighted the chosen art style range.
REFLECTION
Throughout the lectures and exercise, I had gained somewhat more information towards a game mechanic and art direction. When I look at the comparison between Among Us and GGD, it strikes me how the choices game developers make can have a profound impact on our gaming experiences. Among Us stands out with its simplicity, and I truly appreciate the iconic character design, which makes it easy to identify with and adds to the game's charm. It's a straightforward concept that has gained immense popularity for its social deduction mechanics.
On the other hand, GGD takes a more complex approach, blending elements from popular games like Mafia, Among Us, and PUBG. It introduces an array of character roles that add depth to the social deduction aspect. The detailed character designs and customization options inject humor and personalization into the gameplay. The attention to environmental details, with various maps and immersive sound effects, contributes to a rich and engaging atmosphere. However, the recurring server issues in GGD have been a significant source of frustration during my gaming experiences. This comparison teaches me that there's a delicate balance in terms of environment and UI design in a gameplay.
Shifting to "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" that I had focus to analysis in "visual analysis, I really appreciate the game's ability to bring a sense of peace and creativity. The cartoonish character designs with their large expressive eyes and the charming, detailed environments create a world that's not just visually appealing but emotionally enriching. The isometric 3D perspective adds depth to the experience, making it accessible and captivating even for someone like me who isn't an avid gamer. This game's art direction is a testament to how it's not just about the gameplay; it's about creating a whole immersive world that provides inspiration and a sense of comfort.
Overall, throughout the gameplay experience, I've learned that a successful gaming experience relies on many different factors. These include a well-designed environment, the right mood and atmosphere, lighting, and a user-friendly interface that covers buttons, text, etc. To sum up, the key to success is when all of these elements work in harmony to craft a pleasurable gaming experience that captures and holds the players' interest and keeps them entertained.
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