Portfolio

What will be included in my portfolio?

I will have included some life drawings, I have also included human anatomy (male and female) I have included normal sketches. I also have included some sketchbook and idea concepts that I have used for my own course work I am currently doing. I will also be including some 3D models that I have made in Maya2017, as well as some of the pixel art from my first year of study.

Here are the links to my 3D models: https://sketchfab.com/AaronShaw

Job application

What this page will be about: This page will be about me applying for jobs and making a CV and cover letter.

About me: I am a young 17 year old games design student studying at South Leicestershire College, i have studied here for 1 year so far and hopefully will be going onto the second year, i have learned a lot about the industry this year and what different job roles there are and how you can succeed to get them. I have also learned about some different products and how to use them, some examples are Adobe Audition for editing some sounds that we had to make, i also learned how to use photoshop better than I already did. I really enjoy the course that I have chose and i really want to carry on learning about different aspects of the games design industry. I have seen a few job roles that have really dragged me into the games industry and i have done some research on them, these roles are a concept artist and a level designer as well as a visual designer, these roles dragged me in because i really like designing stuff and drawing, i loved drawing as a little kid, i haven't really been amazing at drawing but i have tried to do more recently to try and get better and hopefully by the end of the year i can get really good and start uploading my artwork onto social media.

CV link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=13sCD5x6uw8SMUBLiTc18zk9wnIFTsi7B

Cover letter: https://drive.google.com/open?id=19t-Gbvw99mrOpPI37k3ZQcUqERb_s0GK

Jobs I will be applying for: https://epicgames.avature.net/careers/JobDetail/Bellevue-Washington-United-States-Visual-Designer/2827

Link to my portfolio: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7639585031314534398#editor/target=post;postID=7478794273592666534

Sound:
Vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear.

Speech:
He expression of or the ability to express thoughts and feelings by articulate sounds.

Iconography:
The visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these.

Symbolism:
the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Metaphors:
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Here is a link to a video with a lot of other game sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXxoZCpuICk

What is timbre?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k5Ml7HoVoQ

Why is music and sound FX so important within games development?

Because it gives the player sense to the story that is being told and how that noise can lead to something further on into the game. its sets the mood and the tone of the game.

What is waveform, (wavelength, amplitude, frequency); pitch; Hertz (Hz); decibel level (dB); sound generator (loudspeaker)?
Look at a dictionary definition first.

A waveform is the shape and form of a signal such as a wave moving in a physical medium or an abstract representation.

In physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats, and thus the inverse of the spatial frequency.

Amplitude, in physics, the maximum displacement or distance moved by a point on a vibrating body or wave measured from its equilibrium position. It is equal to one-half the length of the vibration path.

For an oscillating or varying current, frequency is the number of complete cycles per second in alternating current direction. The standard unit of frequency is the hertz, abbreviated Hz.A pitch is the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or loertz is the SI unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second.

Definition and examples. The decibel (DB) is used to measure sound level, but it is also widely used in electronics, signals and communication. The dB is a logarithmic way of describing a ratio. The ratio may be power, sound pressure, voltage or intensity or several other things.

A sound generator is a vibrating object which produces a sound. There are two main kinds of sound generators (thus, two main kinds of musical instruments).

What is Foley?

relating to or concerned with the addition of recorded sound effects after the shooting of a film.

1. List a range of music/FX sources.

The last of us theme song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfA5UqEU_80

Call of duty black ops 2 Origins story theme song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuGHeYen2Ts

2. Using at least 3 of your favourite games explain the purpose of game music

With the last of us theme song kicks in, this is a very important part of the game as this is when a character suddenly dies called Sarah(joels daughter). The emotion comes flooding in as you are shook after only a few seconds of game play.The suspense is literally right in front of you, as soon as you hear those gun shots action is there also. This theme song adapts well as it really shows the sadness in the game right from the beginning.

In black ops, this intro is very unique and different to the last of us as It sounds more badass and out going, there is allot more action too. Through out the clip, the story and the music together gives you the emotion of war and a fearful atmosphere, you also feel creeped out by the story as well. The suspense is when you see the characters of the game having there little moment battling the undead.

3. What are the legal considerations needed when obtaining or using Music/FX?

https://www.videomaker.com/article/c2/14537-whats-legal-when-are-background-sounds-with-a-copyright-in-video-clips-ok

Here is a link to show what is needed for obtaining or using music and also to show what copy right means within it.

Mario Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwXILTX8MeY

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY6LLtyev5o

Slime Rancher

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpqiK40dOR4

These sounds were added because they fit in the theme of the game and makes the experience more immersive. For example, in Modern Warfare the theme track is fast paced and loud which matches.

1, Creating your own music and making your own, using royalty free websites to add it to your own music. You can also ask producers to see if they can make something or re make it that you are using it in your own game.

Three games i have chosen is, csgo, rainbow six siege, the last of us, they all have sounds which make you on edge when playing the game and when you are in a near death situation you will get a sound cue like in the last of us when you are getting attacked the screen goes red and your hearing goes muffled and when you are getting attacked then a sharp sound goes through you then you can hear nothing.

P2 understanding the methods and principles of sound design and production:

Exercise 1:  Research and explain

Uncompressed Files:

WAV: Waveform audio file format, a format which Microsoft and IBM which is standard for storing uncompressed audio files.

AIFF: Audio Interchange File Format is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices. 

AU: The Au file format is a simple audio file format introduced by Sun Microsystems. 

SMP: This file extension is refered to as SmartMusic Performance.

Lossy Compressed Files:

Mp3: This is the standard format for compressed sound files and this makes it into a much smaller file compared to an uncompressed file. You will most commonly see this file on a mobile phone with downloaded music.

Ra: This file is known as Real Audio File and it is also compressed.

Vox: This file contains MetaVoice audio data, it is also compressed making it a much smaller file.

In what types of scenario may you use the following audio recording equipment?

Multi-track recording: This is where you can record different sounds at once, so if you had 2 microphones and 2 different things to record, you can record say a person talking and then the traffic on the other one without them interfering with each other.

Midi - Multi Instrument Interface: MIDI is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors and allows a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers and other related music and audio devices to connect and communicate with one another.

DAT: Means digital audio tape which is a tape but also digital so its very weird but good.

Analogue: Audio recordings come in two basic types; analogue and digital. Analogue refers to audio recorded using methods that replicate the original sound waves. Vinyl records and cassette tapes are examples of analogue mediums. Digital audio is recorded by taking samples of the original sound wave at a specified rate.

Software plug-ins: An audio plug-in, in computer software, is a plug-in that can add or enhance audio-related functionality in a computer program. Such functionality may include digital signal processing or sound synthesis.

Software Sequencer: A music sequencer (or simply sequencer) is a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically CV/Gate, MIDI, or Open Sound Control (OSC), and possibly audio and automation data for DAWs and plug-ins.

Brief

 Unit 78: Digital Graphics for Computer Games

To be able to create concept art and a plan for a video game.

Client Brief:

The brief we have been given is to make a 2D sci-fi platformer/ scroller with an implement of maths or puzzle to give the player a challenge. What we haven't been given is the artistic style and what type of audience we have to do the game.

My brief:

For my game I will be doing a space themed game with a spaceman who has to find different parts to fix their spaceship using maths to find codes to open the doors to find the parts, but you will also have robots that are stopping you from getting these parts and you have to fight these off with certain weapons you find outside in creates, they can be heavy firepower or a small wrench to fight off these robots.

Art Style: Pixel
Characters: 1 main character called Apollo Agent 56 (or for short AA56)
Enemies: Robots bigger the part harder the enemy
Type of game: Scroller for the player to find different parts

PEGI:
My game will be rated 12 and up because of the violence in it, i have researched what the age rating is for scroller shooter games and it is 12 and up because I don't want to teach a 4 year old that shooting robots is good and how to shoot a fire arm.

Inspiration:
I got a lot of my inspiration from old 80's films and pixel games like super meat boy and Saturn 3 (Old 80's sci fi film) which gave me the idea of the robots chasing down someone but then i realised i could have it in space like the game Dead Space as that is set on an abandoned space ship and you are trying to find your way out but you have really weird aliens everywhere, so i decided to change the aliens to robots and we now have the game Desolate Space. I got my name from a CS:GO skin named Desolate Space and i felt like it would fit my game perfectly.

Royalty Free:
I used one royalty free image in my title screen that's because i needed to find a cool 80's retro style back ground, but i couldn't find one which was free so i looked around and found one which was royalty free. What is royalty free? royalty free is where you are allowed to use that image because the maker or the photographer is allowing you to use that image so it gets out there, or they are just feeling generous.

Mood board:

Sprite Making:

This is the start to my enemies and they will be robots that fly around via a small antenna on the bottom of his body which is connected to a satellite that they are controlling the robots and make them attack AA56 by squirting acidic oil on him.

This is some kind of shark shape which is a cosmetic skin for this weapon,






I coloured in the robot and shaded one side of his body and head and added a small antenna at the bottom of his body for the satellite to move the robots to control the ship whilst AA56 tries to recover the engine parts and kill all the robots.











I coloured his eye in which has a white background with a small black pupil to make it seem human-like, I added this feature because I want the robots to have as much human detail as possible to make the movement as real as possible and make the robots fight as human as possible to make it feel like you are fighting a random dude on the street.

This is going to be my home screen, I have gone for an 80's kind of retro look and a sci-fi kind of aspect to it, to keep the gamer interested. I have used bright colours and a nice big font so people can read it nice and clear, I have used a big basic font with a nice gradient with the right colours as the back ground or a little lighter to make it stand out.












This is my finished astronaut design, it is like my other drawings which i am proud of, i haven't had time to animate the astronaut to walk or jump like my concepts have been.

















This back ground concept art is my final one, I have added some fine detail into the windows and added some planets and a few stars including a satellite which controls the robots that you have to fend off from killing you.

This is my jumping animation, i did this because i wanted to make my character move about in the game and make it seem realistic as possible to make the player seem like you are the actual character itself in the game.

This is my walking animation drawing, i have made him walk so they can get around different places and get to areas where some people cant.























These are my robot designs, i have drawn a few i like but i have decided to go with the top one as it suits the whole satellite theme very well with all the antenna's on their heads to make it seem like they are getting controlled to manoeuvre around the ship to attack the astronaut.

 These are my HUD designs, i have added a health bar and different arrows for where the player has to go if he is near a part to fix the engine so he can get out of there.

 The different arrows show him which way he has to go, if the arrow is pointing up then he goes straight, if its pointing right then he has to go to his right where there is a door.

This is my finished robot design, i have gone for the ones with antenna's as it would seem the most realistic as they are getting controlled by a satellite so it acts like there are a small car to a remote control.

This is my finished SMG design, i have added more detail into it as i have added different colours and a new design on the weapon, i also added a small switch where you can change into single fire mode or fully auto where it has a fast fire rate but uses a lot more ammunition, i added a grip to it to make it more realistic as well as a holding belt for when the character has to hold parts for the engine and carry them back.










Evaluation:

What went well:
I am pleased with my final sprites and how they have came out, they suit my game very well and the colours suit the characters and the weapons as well, they all fit the theme as well as it is a sci-fi game robots are well known for sci-fi films / games which is where i got some of my inspiration from, I also love how my hud came out, its really simple but it suits the game well as my game will have a lot of detail to the back grounds and items the character has to carry.

What didn't go so well:
Im not pleased on how I didn't get to do my background, i tried a few times but my PC decided to turn its self off half way through doing the background which really annoyed me so I decided to leave it as i got really far and didn't want to start again at 2am in the morning. I am also annoyed i didn't get to design any of my parts for the engine so that the character had nothing to carry except a small SMG to fend off the robots.

Conclusion:
In all i am very pleased with how it all came out and how i have done my sprites and how they fit so well with the game genre, i am also pleased with the home screen as well as it took me a while to do that and how it came out is brilliant.

Year 1
Unit 78: Digital Graphics for Computer Games
P2 Be able to Generate Concept Art Ideas for Computer Game Graphics
Legal & Ethical Considerations
Research and answer the following questions.



What is copyright law?

- The current act is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The law gives the creators of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, sound recordings, broadcasts, films and typographical arrangement of published editions, rights to control the ways in which their material may be used.


What is intellectual property?

- Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions; literary and artistic works; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. Intellectual property is divided into two categories: Industrial Property includes patents for inventions, trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications.


What is the Equality & Diversity Law?

- This is where it has to not be racist or sexist in any game or photo or video you have taken, this is because the way they are portrayed in media, so if you took a picture of a celebrity coming out of a random house or her friends house, she could be portrayed as doing something rude e.g. sleeping with them or doing something with them, but we wouldn't know as the media is portraying them in a different way than that celebrity is.


How are female characters represented in Games?

- More females these days are being represented as quite strong in some violent games and like first person shooters, they are becoming more manly like but in some games they are becoming more slutty and wearing very skanky clothing revealing a lot of skin in some games like GTA and Saints Row the 3rd and 4th.


What is PEGI?

- PEGI stands for Pan European Game Information, this is where it sets age rating for every game that has been on the market and giving them an age rating so that little kids don't buy a 18 rated game and get scared by it and get told off by their parents.


Who are the BBFC?

- PEGI version but for films this is called the British Board of Film Classification was set up in 1912 by the film industry as an independent body to bring a degree of uniformity to the classification of film nationality


What are the ASA codes of conduct?

- Advertising standards authority this means that you have to stay loyal to your customers and not give false information or give a certain race in your adverts and then they ask why you have chosen a certain race, it has to be fair an accurate, for example you have a bleach bottle that says it has 99.9% of killing germs they then can't have it at 100% as it would false information and then therefore not being the right information and then selling out.


What is Libel?

- This is where it is a false statement where it affects the customer.

Sprite

This is a piskel that I drew for a target that josh set me and I created it is a replica of a Sans from Undertail.

Unit 78 Types of digital graphics:

Pixel:

A pixel is a minute area of an illumination of a display screen. In images you have a lot of pixels with different colours to create the image that you have. A pixel is not a little square it only exists at a point. For example in a coloured image you might have a pixel with the 3 primary colours to make up that image. These pixels are found in raster images because when you zoom into a raster image like a PNG or JPEG you will see all the different pixels in a raster image.  



Picture resolution:
A picture resolution refers to the number of pixels that are on the image, for example if you have a 1920x1080 is the height and width in pixels to get the about of pixels that are in the photo all you have to do is times 1920 by 1080 which is 2,073,600 pixels which would be about 2 Megabytes of storage which would be saved as a raster type of file.

Image Resolution:
Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image. Resolution is sometimes identified by the width and height of the image as well as the total number of pixels in the image. For example, an image that is 2048 pixels wide and 1536 pixels high (2048X1536) contains (multiply) 3,145,728 pixels (or 3.1 Megapixels).

Intensity:
Simply put, pixel intensity is how many pixels are in a certain area. Imagine a single dot, it doesn't make a picture but it does, 2 dots make the eyes to a very simple cartoon, 3 dots are a triangle, 4 dots are a rectangle or a square depending on how they are arranged, The more pixels you have in a image the more complex it becomes.



Vectors and Raster files:
The difference between vector files and raster files are that vectors are larger and not compressed files compared to raster files which are more smaller and are compressed files. 


Raster Files:

GIF: A lossless format for image files that supports both animated and static images.

BMP: Short for "Bitmap." It can be pronounced as "bump," "B-M-P," or simply a "bitmap image." The BMP format is a commonly used raster graphic format for saving image files. It was introduced on the Windows platform, but is now recognized by many programs on both Macs and PCs.
Tiff: TIFF (Tag Image File Format) is a common format for exchanging raster graphics (bitmap) images between application programs, including those used for scanner images. A TIFF file can be identified as a file with a ".tiff" or ".tif" file name suffix.

JPEG: A JPEG is a type of compressed file for photos.

Vector Files:

PSD: A PSD is a layered file that is used in Photoshop. PSD stands for Photoshop documents, this is the default format that Photoshoppers use. The files allows the user to edit the image with different layers and continue that after the file has been saved.

WMF: Windows Metafile (WMF) is an image file format originally designed for Microsoft Windows in the 1990s. Windows Metafiles are intended to be portable between applications and may contain both vector graphics and bitmap components. It acts in a similar manner to SVG files.

FLA: An FLA file is an animation project created by Adobe Animate, a program used to draw and publish interactive animations. It contains graphics, video, text elements, audio, and other assets. FLA files are often saved as .SWF files for use on the web as they are view able in most web browsers with the Flash plugin.

AI: Adobe Illustrator Artwork (AI) is a proprietary file format developed by Adobe Systems for representing single-page vector-based drawings in either the EPS or PDF formats. The .ai filename extension is used by Adobe Illustrator. The AI fileformat was originally a native format called PGF.