Capstone Research

I saw the film "Snowpiercer" [2013, Bong Joon-Ho], which addressed the ideas of class segregation and power. They used the setting of the train as both a plot device and a metaphor to represent the division between the upper and lower class. The plot follows passengers from the tail end karts who conspire to make their way to the front karts.
The way the film was presented was immaculate, not only for the impressive, claustrophobic fight scenes but also the way the director revealed narrative elements. The first 3/4 of the film feels very plot heavy in the sense that not a lot of character development is present in favor for the plot elements. However, nearing the start of the final act of the film, the main character reveals how terrible life had been in the back kart and all the terrible things he had done. His revelations completely contradict the way he had been portrayed at the start of the film as a warrior of valor and justice. The reason I was so compelled by this scene was that it made so much sense and gave even more meaning to characters that had died as well as other events that previously had little to no meaning to the audience. The feasibility hit home and felt relatable as I could imagine how terrible the conditions must have been for him and the rest of the lower class passengers.
Structuring the way the film unfolds in such a way makes the audience feel involved as if the narrative were interactive as they piece together past events to formulate meaning of the present.

The story structure of this I feel may work in the comic medium, as several narratives I tend to enjoy are the ones where the storyteller doesn't spell out what is happening or why, but rather sprinkles hints and small story elements for the audience to put together in an impactful revelation.

The ideas in the film were cemented in the final monologues by both Curtis and the "antagonist" Wilfred [the man in the front kart/engine]. Wilfred being in the engine could symbolize how he controls the metaphoric engine that keeps the society functioning. Deciding what is best for the society as a whole in which the following karts have to accept, at the risk of the engine that keeps them alive not working. Wilfred justified all of his decisions [despite how inhumane they were] by suggesting they were for the greater good of the train [world]. He solved the over population of the train which disrupted the eco-system of the train by committing genocide, or orchestrating calculated revolts that would sacrifice just the right amount of people from both ends of the train. Wilfred's intentions could easily appear just, however his methods left a lot to be desired. His intelligence was clear but the lack of compassion in which he used it caused him to appear to have lost his humanity. Whether it be a byproduct of the harsh conditions or the personal vendetta he had for his doubters against his plans for the train, neither I think can justify the inhumanity that took place in the train.

An idea that was clear in this film [particularly in the stellar third act] was how easily the monarch [Wilfred] managed to convince the rest of the people that the inhumane actions were justified and for the good of the society as a whole. Describing how each section of the train and its inhabitants serve a purpose to benefit the train. He suggested that each section included their own set of drawbacks and necessary sacrifices including the engine. Implying that everyone was on the same side because of the circumstances they live in. Should obstruction to Wilfred's plans occur, he would manufacture fear to control those who would cause him trouble.

"everyone has their own preordain position, and everyone is in their place ..."
"that's what people in the best place say to people in the worst place."

"the fact is we are all stuck inside this blasted train. We are all prisoners in this hunk of metal."

"this train is a closed eco-system. we must always strive for balance."

"I believe it is easier for someone to survive on this train if they have some level of insanity .. Gilliam well understood we need to maintain a proper balance of anxiety and fear, chaos and horror in order to keep life going, and if we don't have that. we need to invent it."

Cut scenes

Title Screen

I painted the title screen and added stlylistic decisions to enforce the themes and mood of the game level. I entitled the game Presinct as it is the place she is journeying to rescue her friends, as well as tie into the Sinthesis story.

Borrowed Asset

To imply the industrial nature of the environment, I asked Leighton to use one of his crates he designed. The dark colour works well with the saturated colours in the existing environment. The way it is designed makes it appear to be made of some sort of metal like iron which makes fits well narratively in the game.

I asked to borrow one of Bryn's already made assets as I was aware he had already animated a large set of jewels and treasure. I saw opportunity to bring some more appeal to the checkpoints with one of these jewels. I asked to borrow one of the shards to place upon the statues that rise upon activation. I asked it to be purple to fit within the background and existing environmental elements.

animated assets

This is how my animated process developed. I began with roughs that were several frames in length to get a full scope of the possible poses and motions of the movements. Next I cleaned them up by choosing a few select poses I believed communicated the motion the clearest. I cut the frames significantly with the amount of time we had left in mind. The motion I feel serves the purpose and functionality.

Asset Development

Level Design Progress

I replaced as much of the black as possible with some form of tiling. I have found the variation of the designs to be most effective. I plan to further populate the environments with smaller design assets likes chambers, computers and factory like machines.

Narrative Element

I felt the end goal of reaching the roof felt underwhelming, so I decided to add a narrative element tying in my story from Sinthesis. I decided to have Ipa lead Maha to Cypress who will be in a tank at the end of the level. Ipa will free Cypress who will aid Maha in her quest to save her bodyguards from the precinct they will be captive in. To further develop the world I plan to have the stage littered with narrative elements like other tanks and tribal assets.
If I have time I would like to detail this in a cut scene at the start and end of the level to make the context explicit.

environment design

Mechanics Redux

After collaborating with our programmer Regan, we reduced my previous list of features to the features we felt were necessary and achievable within the timeframe.
I was able to understand that I had been trying to cram possibly too many features into this project which was to be almost an introductory level of which only the most elementary features would be necessary. I chose to eliminate enemies and restrict the obstacles to elements in the environment. The remaining features I chose to retain are the spotlight that triggers something which I will have yet to determine. The set piece that introduces a certain urgency. The cars at the start that will accommodate the moving platforms element. And the flames at the end that will require timing to evade and progress the level.

Game Dev Progress

Platform Design

I wanted the platforms to appear to look mechanical and clean to enforce the futuristic setting.

They turned out very nicely when put into the game.

Level Map

The start of this level shows a cut scene in which the context of the conflict between the two nations as well as the events leading up to the capture of Maha, Nir and the other body guards. The cut scene ends withMaha being set free as she witnesses guards taking away her companions. Conflicted to get help from the Geni clans at the risk of her companions lives as she would have to journey several days, she arrives at the walls that separate the Agri from the "wilds" of the Geni lands.
A bystander who witnesses the crash communicates to Maha via monitors at a nearby electronics store. Ipa reveals herself and convinces Maha to go save her companions with the guidance and advanced technical knowledge of Ipa.
Ipa informs her that she needs to get to the top of a nearby Agri tower to get an optimal scan for the location of her bodyguards. 

Walking left triggers Ipa briefing Maha about her objective of saving her bodyguards.
Wall opens allowing passage to go right.
Jump on to tower, interact with button to activate revolving cars.
Platform over revolving cars.
Landing on other side triggers Ipa over radio explaining the irrigation mechanic to defeat enemy behind door.
Door opens after enemy is knocked out.
Retrieve card key.
Platform upwards. Encounter surveillance drone.
Defeat Drone.
Approach room with 2nd key.
Use irrigation mechanic to defeat enemy.
Retrieve 2nd card key triggering the lowering of a bridge to elevator.
Cross bridge to take elevator down to the 3rd key.
Retrieve 3rd Key triggering combustion of building.
Maha runs to the right away from ensuing flames.
Opportunities to slow down flames through irrigation are planted through the escape route.
Escape route leads to outdoors in front of Agri Tower.
The three keys allow the entrance to open to boss battle.
Hatch moves between irrigation spots while triggering flames to be shot downward from the A, B, C boxes.
Maha moves between irrigation spots to attack Hatch while dodging the flames from the A, B, C boxes.
After depleting Hatch’s health he retreats by teleporting from the scene.
Maha triggers a water sport elevating her to his platform which leads to the elevator to the roof of the Agri tower.

Style/Look frame

I selected the art style of Kentucky Route Zero and Oxenfree as reference to base the design of my environments. It worked out great and I found it efficient to filter noise to add to the style and blur some background aspects to present depth.

This section of the level, shows Maha having to platform from a roof onto a tower and then platform amongst cars in a vertical car park that are revolving up and down to make it challenging.

Some mechanics I have been interested but unsure whether they are worth investing in include:

PROJECTION- 

Using her hood as a mechanic which can attract and deter attention from enemies at the player's will, each with its own benefit and drawbacks.

To enforce the feel of the main character being blind I imagined the environment being blurry or sketchy when her hood is up to make her incognito from the public/enemies. 

But when she puts it down the environment is clearer to maneuver and orientate herself in the space. 

BLENDING-

Certain interactive elements in the environment that the player can use to evade pursuers as Maha's disability makes it difficult for combat.

[eg. hiding inside a car, or scaling a wall above pursuing enemies, which all have a limit to how long she can hold certain blending spots perhaps?]

SHORT CIRCUIT- 

Monitors and electronics that Maha can call Ipa to short circuit to gain attention/distract enemies or lead them to vulnerable spots for irrigation.

IRRIGATION- 

Using Maha's senses to deter water sources in the direction of her foes, blasting them with a surge of water, electrocuting them and their equipment.

Level Design

Level Design
After the lecture discussing mechanics I was able to consider what kinds of mechanics make the player feel a certain way at certain points and keep them interested in the game.

I had the idea of changing the rain of fireball mechanic in D2D to a spotlight mechanic to emphasize the stealth of the character in the narrative.

I am also considering elevators and how they could be cool interactable environment sections in terms of platforming while describing narrative at the same time.

Another idea I think could be cool would be a set piece to motivate urgency after the collection of a pick up. I am currently working on a building that begins to combust behind the player as they platform through and [optionally] setting of sprinklers and aqua ducts to slow down the ensuing fire.

The irrigation interactables where the protagonist senses the water under the surface allows her to trigger spurts of water in certain locations to aid in her progress.

Ipa [the side kick/context character], will communicate advice through monitors in the background which she will hack to inform of certain ludic and narrative plot points.

Final Concepts

With designing the characters I researched representation and structures of existing video game characters in relation to masculinity vs femininity. I concluded that the masculinity and femininity were not restricted to male and female so I was able to combine certain traits to enforce characters power relations to each other and the fictional world. I aimed to do this in a way to challenge, not enforce the implications of femininity representing weakness by presenting females with predominantly feminine characteristics as powerful by applying certain masculine traits.

The male characters, I designed are crafted with applications from [Ewan Kirkland, 2009] which suggest that masculinity is challenged in silent hill by making the protagonists weaker than the average hero trope of many video game narratives. Kirkland assesses how most academic study of video games, “conclude that video games contain regressive models of male behavior characterized by aggression, domination, and heterosexualized superiority to women. [..] instead, they are

ordinary, flawed, even neurotic to the point of psychosis.”

With this in mind I wanted to make the characters appear powerful but show subtle hints of their shortcomings that make them flawed to challenge the idea of the perfection and superiority of masculinity, commonly portrayed in video game narratives.

With this in mind I aim to reverse this idea for the female characters to design them to be empowered without sexualizing them as well as applying design techniques for them to be heroic as most male characters would be.

The Beautiful and the Monstrous Masculine: The Male Body and Horror in El espinazo del diablo

(Guillermo del Toro 2001) Ann Davies

“Del Toro presents masculinity as unfixed, in inherent danger of collapsing in on itself and mutating into the feminine abject. The male body comes to haunt itself, always already implying a return of the regressed: male beauty always carries within it a potential decay into the abject. The horror lies not only with the monstrosity of the ghost Santi, but also with the fact that the monstrous and the beautiful male body are not so much opposites but points on a spectrum, so that beauty and virility can at any time revert to monstrous decay.”

This article refers to the centralization on masculinity in terms of horror and relates it to feminine and masculine power discourses of society. Davies describes the power and beauty of the masculine body in relation to the fear that comes in its imminent decay into a weaker feminine state.

Davies' article argues the reasoning behind horror comes from the dismemberment and decay of the sacred masculine body.

The sacred and heroic masculine body is a congregation of certain traits, most of which are not bound to the male body. By identifying the traits not hindered by gender I can apply them to the female body to suggest the sacred and power of the character. In designing the female characters I wanted to make them appear feminine but powerful without relying on applying too many "beautiful masculine" traits.

In the case of designing the hybrid creature Venitu I combined cyborg, mechanics, with the female body. To achieve the horror described in Davies article I attached a decrepit scorpion claw to her hand and an almost phallic tail with a tribal shield to combine the masculine with feminine again but with more aggressive traits to present a horrific yet powerful character.

Nir is designed to have a masculine, athletic body. I gave her practical armour with enough space to reveal her athletic attributes and suggest her femininity. I was selective in which parts to highlight her athleticism without focusing on her sexuality in a way that would onjectify her [arms and legs rather than cleavage]. The combination of masculine traits on a feminine body aim to give the end result a triumphant and powerful look for this strong female character.

Maha is hooded and cloaked to show her mysteriousness and secrecy behind her and her abilities. I wanted to present her as extremely feminine but not weak or sexualized. Considering Davies ideas behind masculine and female complexes wanted to portray feminine traits but highlight them in a way that did not portray them as inferiority as many texts do.I wanted to design Maha to be a appealing without resorting to objectifying her sexuality. Maha's hood and cloak were designed to suggest her sovereignty which is typical of masculine ideals.

References like Raven from teen titans and Spider Gwen were great examples of the portrayal of combining the masculine sovereignty with the neutral mystery and feminine body [all in a way that does not objectify or make femininity appear weak]. The darkness of raven makes her hidden aggression[masculine] have an exponential affect on the viewer. Spider-Gwen's design [monochromatic with red and blue trims and tints] present uncertainty and mystery and the traditional eyes show innocence and wonder [like that of a wide eyed youth]. Both designs are minimal and iconic which I intend to apply to Maha's final design. I aim for the culmination of these traits to produce an appealing, mysterious, curious, sovereign female character. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kirkland, E. (2009). Masculinity in Video Games: The Gendered Gameplay of Silent Hill. Camera Obscura, 24(2), 161-183. doi: 10.1215/02705346-2009-006

Davies, A. (2006). The Beautiful and the Monstrous Masculine: The Male Body and Horror in El espinazo del diablo
(Guillermo del Toro 2001) . Studies in Hispanic Cinema, 3(3), 135-147. doi: 10.1386/shci.3.3.135/1

Colour Keys

concepting with context

As I began to start working on the character Nir, I tried to emphasize her feminine attributes without sexualizing her while at the same time portraying her immense strength. Through trial and error I concluded that the compact and stocky body type didn't portray the agile athleticism I intended for Nir which would provide the necessary masculine traits for the feminine frame.

Her armour also needed to be practical while at the same time appealing. I left exposed spaces to highlight her athleticism without sexualizing the character.

 Hatch needed to come across as regal and stoic. I decided to mask his eyes to add mystery to him and imply his stoic nature. I gave him a cloak which suggest regality and I played with how it would drape, with the intent to show the fururistic yet tribal era. His sculpted figure shows his body is as trained as his mind. I wanted to imply his insecurity regarding his identity by masking him and adding the synthetic device on his wrist.

 

Ipa was fun to design, I wanted her to look simple to highlight the technology she is implanted in.

I wanted Shar to look confident and sovereign. He needed to appear different from the other characters as he represents the foreign influence on the indigenous culture. His cloak is inspired by extravagant european cloaks of kings and queens. I altered the shape to reflect the futuristic nature. His glasses represent his unclear motives and decisions, and emphasize his untrustworthy characteristics. He is long and wiry to add to his sharp and cunning personality, [it also suggests he uses his intellect to attain power and control rather than brute strength] his large cloak hides his frail upper body which is a weakness and insecurity of Shar's character.

Venitu needed to appear decrepit and intimidating. I combined several monster silhouettes. Like the other female characters i wanted to mplement masculine traits to her design to highlight the hostility of her character as well as the transition between the decay of the masculine body to the "weaker" feminine as mentioned in the Ann Davies article. The phallic tail combined with the nearly emaciated feminine torso achieves the horror themes of this character. 

Plot refining

The Nation of Tunnar is divided between the Geni: traditional tribes and Agri: clans that integrate foreign technologies.

Maha is born blind but with super enhanced senses. She is trained to use her abilities to sense water sources in a nation plagued by drought. The allied Geni tribes agree to send her from village to village to aid in the retrieval of water which becomes a rare commodity. She is escorted by elite guards from various of the Geni villages for protection on her travels. Maha grows very close to her bodyguards as they form an intimate bond through their travels.

This new initiative is kept a secret from the Agri who are also suffering from the drought, as the Geni fear their use of Maha would cause a great power imbalance and endanger Maha's well being.

The Agri Dictator Shar is pressured from the public to find a solution for the drought which has lead to famine and economic downfall. The pressure of the public is only enhanced by the impending election, during which he becomes aware of the thriving Geni. He is convinced that should he force his way into Geni and pillage their water he would start a civil war and that if he were to ask for aid from the Geni he would come across weak.

Shar devises a plan to infiltrate the Geni and find how they have discovered their water sources. He arranges for an an explosion to occur in the nations most popular commercial district in Agri killing many of his own people. When asked for a statement on the incident Shar reports the attack was orchestrated by the Geni.

With the full support of the people he is able to fund a force to retaliate against the Geni.

Shar mounts the Agri assault on the Geni villages taking many hostages for interrogation, searching for the water source. He manages to find out about an oracle who is able to locate springs underneath the earth. He pursues the oracle across the Geni tribes until he manages to capture Maha who is hidden among her body guards. Unsure of which of them is the oracle, the Agri transport the party to the capital to be tortured into revealing who the oracle is.

As they cross the walls of Agri, Maha's bodyguards attempt to hijack the transport helicopter causing it to crash. Unfortunately two of Maha's bodyguards die in order to save her from the crash. One of her two surviving bodyguards escort her from the crash and order Maha to flee towards Geni as she returns to the crash site to distract the surviving Agri guards as well as those arriving onto the scene.

Instead of fleeing she feels guilt for others dying for her sake, so she braves the unknown metropolis of Agri to rescue her bodyguards from captivity. Her lack of sight proves challenging in her quest but her enhanced senses allow her to traverse and combat through Agri towards her comrades.

While searching information on her bodyguards location, Maha learns of the explosion that Shar organised. As Maha nears closer to her bodyguards, Shar sends stronger warriors to capture her to keep her from spreading the secret behind the incident and use her abilites to attain power over all of Tunnar

______________________________________________________________________________

Maha

Born blind, Maha's parents struggled to raise her in such a wild environment. However upon harnessing her remaining senses they discovered her advanced perception. As the drought started, Maha managed to find spring not far from her village. After discovering this ability, Maha continues honing her abilities and eventually chooses to travel with her parents between village to village supplying them all with water. On their travels they get attacked by bandits but are saved by a nearby villages warrior called Nir. Maha's parents are left in comas with severe injuries. The council of the Geni discover what Maha and her family had been trying to achieve among the villages and assign her four warriors from the higher villages [including Nir] to escort her on her journeys to help the remaining villages.

• delicate and fragile
• graceful
• intelligent

Shar

Agri leader, elderly politician from the foreign culture who supplied the Agri with their developed technology from the foreign lands.

• wiry
• intelligent
• selfish

Nir

Warrior raised from famine to become strong warrior. Extremely loyal, learning about sacrifice from her parents taking such good care of her despite their own well being.

• direct
• strong
• loyal

Hatch

• Leader of Shar's infiltration squad
• solemn/sombre
• quiet

Venitu

• Shar's most elite warrior
• recruited and conditioned to follow orders from Hatch
• Sadist
• victim of torture and experiments

Ipa

• kid genius raised in Agri born from Geni parents
• paralyzed from the waist down [in wheelchair]
• outcasted because of her parents origin and disability
• gadget master
• helps Maha on her quest via radio.
• Hates Agri

Maha concepting

Continued Work on main character i'm going to call Maha which according to babble.com is african for beautiful eyes which i thought appropriate as her eyes are large and buggy. i played around with how she looks in her outfit i designed using Raven as a reference. i also considered how i would simplify the design further into development.

"The hunger to fight" by elsevilla[deviantart] (2016)
Spider Gwen Fanart by Cody Rostron (2015)
Raven Created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez in 1980, DC Comics

I tried working from silhouettes i did earlier and then also tried playing around with body shapes i found interesting

character sketches

Considering a more ludic approach to designing characters i took silhouettes and imagined their in game purpose or how they would interact with the world and the main character. This made it easier for me to give purpose to design aspects rather than try come up with something that looked appealing and then give it a practical purpose.
The top character is a heavy opponent for the protagonist. he has a shell like shield on his back and a spear like weapon. i imagine he can fold into his shell and fire projectiles and jab with his spear. the transformed version is designed to appear animalistic to tie into the african wilds which the themes are inspired by.
the bottom character is an archer of sorts. i altered the traditional bow to make it unique, and also tie into the present themes, as odes her attire.

Theory Research

to help in my research for my character designs i looked for articles to help in my design process.

i managed to find an article about guillermo del toro and the way he tackles embodiment and masculinity and how symbolizes horror in the fear of the decay of the male masculine form and the threat it imposes on the hard bodied man. [thats what i got from a brief skim anyway].

Another article i found discussed masculinity using silent hill 2 as a case study in which the embodying the male form is glorified whereas the feminine bodies are shown do be expendable whether it be the soft bodied antagonists or other characters that have to be discarded in some form to progress the narrative [again will get into more depth after i read it properly]

another article i find interesting is [again just from a skim] is about modernity and culture in terms of the realization and fantasy of ideal feminsation. the article does a case study on "A Fool’s Love" by Tanizaki Jun'ichirō.

The last article i look to tackle is a reading i did for my lit review in bridging which analyzed lara croft and her sexuality and linked it to discussion for how we find appeal in technology to the point of fetishization.

i think the discussion of these articles will aid in the development of my characters, by considering their construction in terms of masculinity/femininity not just using gender. also using this construction to suggest darker themes of horror. in designing the female characters [in particular the protagonist] i look to apply the ideas of what the appeal men find in female characters in particularly digitized ones as well as the modernity of their context in relation to contemporary society to craft appealing characters not subject to too much cliche.

concept sketching from silhouettes

as i started putting down ideas for female villain designs i started having them look very traditional and the futuristic styles were completely absent. i started slowly implementing the scifi features but i need it to be more seamless and subtle. i think i will explore applying the futuristic fashion then work on combining both.

the male designs came out quite well but again the futuristic elements are quite absent so i need to work on applying them more seamless aswell. the base ideas i think have lots of promise.