Dandy

Chess Board Render

Final Render

"Critically evaluate the work you have produced"

I think that the model I have created looks like the concept art it was based on, as it included all of the same details as the concept did and to help this, throughout the process of modelling I had a reference image of the concept art placed on a “plane” object behind my model. This helped me to make sure the sizing was fairly accurate and made it easier to refer back to the design. Using this reference I made sure I included all the details shown in the concept art and that it looked similar. The model communicates the same themes as my concept art mainly because it follows the same design and colour scheme, which I think especially sets the theme for the model. The concept art had a rusty sort of colour scheme, making the design appear old and worn, even though the design itself it actually futuristic. I think my model shows that well as I textured it with a rusty worn effect, using bump mapping to make this effect more realistic. The only thing I added to the design was the handle bar ends. This was because I thought the original design of the handle bars didn’t look practical, there was no where to actually hold onto to, it was more of just a single shaped bar. I just added a grip to the end of each bars so it was a little more practical. If I could have done anything differently, I would’ve defined the shapes or even added more in so that it looked more realistic and defined. The way my model was made up of almost a single shape made it look sort of like a chunk of metal… If I’m honest! I would also have added more detail to model, making it look more realistic. Rather than just having the basic shapes I could have spent longer going in to depth of making everything appear realistic, like wise to my previous point. The thing I found most difficult was making it look realistic and not too simple within my skill boundaries and time given. I personally struggle with maya more than other topics (as much as I love it!) there fore I needed reminders on certain techniques. I found it hard to make it look more sophisticated rather than a simple shape as this requires detail and defining the shape which I struggled to do, however if I had spent longer on this then I probably would have developed techniques on adding depth to the model. I found bump mapping was a great technique for adding depth as it makes the texture appear 3D.

Simulated Pipeline Evaluation Sheet.

Name: Georgette Mutlow

Stage: 3

Critically evaluate the work you are given. What methods and practice will you use to complete this stage?

The concept art I have been given to work from is a hover bike, a very creative, unique design, demonstrated from two angles: a front and side view which helps me to have a better understanding of what the vehicle looks like from other angles. However, the turn-around isn’t very accurate, it would be a bit more helpful if each of the angles were to scale with each other as it might be hard when modelling to work out the sizing of things. The shapes have been quite roughly sketched which can make some parts hard to figure out, however I can either ask the artist if I get confused on the idea or work around it and go with what I think it would look like. Maybe another view of the design would be helpful to model it as the more views shown, the easier it would be to imagine in 3D.   I personally think the concept art communicates its idea effectively of representing a hover bike, I didn’t have to question the artist on the design at all as it follows the shape of a normal (motor) bike but has a twist to it as it hovers, which you can see by the propulsion units at the base of the design. I’m questioning how I’ll model this part but I will research into it when I come across it.   I definitely think the model is not too simple, and should take all the time given to model as it is quite complex but only a reasonable amount, not too difficult for the amount of time I have been given. The two designs are very different from each other as a bus and motorbike don’t have much in relation, almost so much that they could be from separate games, however they both include one main feature/theme which is the hovering system, this makes them link greatly.   When I begin modelling, if I come across any confusion in the design then I will ask the artist for more information on it and then if necessary note it down so I remember when I come to modelling it. Maybe if there’s parts of the hover bike that I’m not sure what would appear like in 3D then I could research to see what it would actually look like, if already existing. I might also sketch the other angles of the design once gathered more detail so that I can refer to it when modelling.   There are many modelling techniques I may use, some that I have in mind currently are using the curve tool which will help me to create a shape following the shape of the specific curve. Another being the edge loop tool which I will definitely use in order to keep my shapes smooth or to perhaps define the shape. As I mentioned earlier, I’m thinking that creating the flame like effect within the propulsion units may be difficult but if I get stuck on it after attempting it, I can research into ways of doing it.

"Critically evaluate the work you have produced"

Before I began my concept art, I researched the information that was needed in order to start designing ideas. My research consisted of creating specific mood boards which acted as references to my vehicle, providing ideas to use as influence, as well as giving me a general better understanding on the vehicles it is based on and then to gather further information from the document creator. I then began my concept art by sketching rough ideas of the shape of my vehicle. These ideas were based on an oval shape as the document suggested, even though they each had their individual characteristics. After getting down a variety of designs for the main body, I moved on to sketching ideas for another key element (suggested by the document, also) of the vehicle design. This was a glass barrier at the top of the vehicle. I then drew out two final ideas which were more detailed than the previous processes because they were to be used for my decision maker. I drew these designs at all angles to create a better understanding if it were to be modelled- how it would look. As well as a brief description of the designs, showing the thought going on behind them. I also coloured these designs using the colour pallet included in the document. My final step was to pick a design out of the two and then take it through a more accurate process. I chose my first design which was the one based off of a Lamborghini Aventador with a dome shaped glass barrier. This was my favourite design because I liked the way it looked futuristic and smart, at the same time as looking rough and post apocalyptic. I think it carried off that combination well. I also thought the dome glass barrier merged into the oval shape of the body, keeping it streamlined so it is able to move fast and smoothly. The colours consisted of metallic’s, presenting the smart side to the vehicle, but I made these metallic colours appear slightly old and worn to keep to the post apocalyptic aesthetic. I also showed that the vehicle was to be created from replaceable scrap parts from other vehicles, by drawing the body to look as if scraps have been nailed together. This was a key feature the document stated.  I drew a turn-around of this design, which I kept each view to the same scale to help the modeller understand the sizing. I scanned this into the computer which I then coloured in on Photoshop. During this process I changed the colours of the scrap pieces to bronze/brown and silver as I thought it was more realistic than just having all silver scraps. I also thought it would be a good idea to introduce more colours from the colour pallet rather than just the same few colours. I shaded my concept art to add some realism to the idea, which I also thought would help the modeller to understand it. Overall, I think I included all the things I was meant to in order for the modeller to understand my progress and final design. I also included all the features the document asked for and followed the theme and colour pallet provided. I think If I could have added any thing, I would have done more research, such as primary research where I could have gone out and documented pictures of other cars for influence to my designs. I could have also created more designs to work from during the beginning process, which may have lead on to a wider range of ideas.

Research Update:

I asked Malcolm what he meant in his document about the vehicle design being built using broken down parts and he suggested that the design looks like it has been created using scraps from perhaps other vehicles and materials. He wants it to look in tact, not falling apart but to look rough. I always questioned whether he wanted it to follow a futuristic theme and he said it was up to me. Therefore I think I will make it look futuristic as it is a futuristic vehicle (hover car), but as it is created out of scraps it will look sort of old and warn. I basically want the design to be futuristic but the visual texture to be worn as it used for fighting.

I began my research by creating a mood board of hover car examples. All these image examples follow a similar oval structure, likewise to my vehicle concept. This will also help my concept art as it shows what an average hover board actually looks like for reference, which could also influence my ideas.


This is part of my research for examples of streamlines/oval sports cars which I can use as influence for my concept art as it is a similar structure to my vehicle concept.

"Simulated Pipeline Evaluation.

Stage: 2

Critically evaluate the work you are given.What methods and practice will you use to complete this stage?"

There were two vehicles mentioned in Malcolm’s pre production document but I have chosen to create concept art on the “hover car”.  The work/document I have been given to work from contains most of the information I need to know and has a lot of detail on the vehicles itself and especially the background of the game. One thing I would like to have explained to me more is where the vehicle description states “These (hover cars) are built using broken down items or parts that are damaged and can be fixed.” I’m not sure whether this is asking for the design and texture of the hover car to look like it was originally created from broken parts for a purpose or whether it just appears damaged for style. I’m also not sure what the appearance of the “broken parts” would be, whether they would be bits of broken vehicle or something else for example. I would also like to know more detail on the colour scheme of the car however I’m guessing it would be along the lines of the colour palette for the game. I’m thinking that the hover car should look futuristic as it is a futuristic vehicle concept and the game genre is sci-fi, however the document doesn’t suggest it to be futuristic. The game genre is also western themed and set in the desert so it could be either futuristic or western/historic. Other than that the document is very descriptive, from the target audience, genre and style, similar games, plot/story, colour palette and vehicle description. The colour palette is particularly useful as they represent the theme of an apocalypse, camouflage, dirty looking colours, which I can demonstrate/use in my concept art.   Before I start my concept art I am going to gather more information from Malcolm on what he meant by the car being built using broken down items as well as the colours of the car so that I have a better understanding on the texture and build of it. I will also find out whether he wants it be futuristic or not. Once I’ve found out these things I should have a clearer understanding on the idea which will allow me to begin researching into it. I’m going to research into cars especially of a similar form/shape to “oval” as the document suggests, like sports cars as they have a streamlined figure making them shaped slightly oval. I’m hoping to get inspiration from this research on how I will design and fit together the layout of the car body. I will then research the same for hovercraft's to get a better idea on what is included within the body and how they generally tend to appear. I can also refer back to the reference images at the back of the document for further inspiration or understanding. When I begin designing I will do sketches using my blue sketch pencil then go over it in normal pencil, because the blue pencil makes rough marks and doesn't show up enough to get in the way of the final drawing. I will draw features I could include within further designs, I should get these key features from my research combined with the documents requirements. After I have achieved many feature ideas, I will start playing around with full ideas for my concept art, making sure to include some of those features. I will draw a variety of ideas so that I can then combine them or use them to develop into other ideas. Once I have created enough concept art to develop a final idea, I will work on the final idea alone, putting greater depth of detail into it and making adjustments to it along the way if necessary. I will also make sure to record the process and any adjustments made along the way and why they were made.

                     Pre-Production Document: Stage 1

My game is called Mechanical Marathon, I thought this would be a suitable name for my game as it is based on the mechanical side of fantasy, like the main feature of the vehicles and the steam punk theme is also very mechanical. Marathon also can mean a long or difficult activity as well as a race which fits the genre and plot. I've decided to go with Fantasy as my theme for my game. I started off looking into steam punk as my style and immediately thought of Howl's Moving Castle as it fits into that category well (top left on the mood board). After looking into Studio Ghibli vehicle designs I thought as I've looked into a film of this theme, I should look into a familiar game which was when I thought to take inspiration from the Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy is a fantasy/steam punk game which links perfectly with my game idea. When looking into Final Fantasy, I came across many unique vehicles, however the air ships and motorbikes specifically grabbed my attention as their designs were the sort of thing I was going for, there fore I gathered images of some examples of these vehicles for inspiration and reference. I also like the idea of my vehicle being air based, because it's the most unusual kind of vehicle, like wise to fantasy which is also unique and unrealistic. My games target audience can be any one above the age of 12 as it involves violence which would be un suitable for any one below that age. Apart from that, any one of either gender who enjoys fantasy, arcade or racing type of games may be interested in playing this game.




This is my colour pallet for my game, I based it on steam punk colours which revolve around old colours like shades of brown, gold and silver. I got inspiration for the steam punk colour scheme from the images in my mood board. 

Plot/Synopsis:

This game is a light hearted, racing and shooter game based in a fantasy world, however it's not an open world as it's a planned route through out the game. The plot of the game is that there are two teams fighting to take lead of their land which they share (you're put on one of the teams). They decide on an idea of how to chose which team rules the land, the idea is to split both teams between air ships and bikes, then a race would take place both on land and in the sky, to collect 20 gems which are also spread across the land and within the sky. These gems are needed in order to take lead of the land. However both teams collide into a fight during the race which is the main struggle of winning the race. There are also obstacles along the way to interfere with the race. The winning team is the team with all 20 gems.


First vehicle:

My first vehicle is an air ship which is in the steam punk style. I also want It would fit in within the colour scheme of steam punk, like browns, blacks, gold, silver. The air ship is small because the only characters to be flying the air ships would be the smaller, weaker ones. I decided this because I thought that the bigger, tougher characters would be better placed on bikes/land as it involves more contact within fights during the race, which means they'd need to be tougher. Also, characters in the air ship wouldn't come in personal contact with other players, as the air ship is almost like a bubble around them, in the sense that they're protected by it. The air ship has a single ship like sail at the top (resembling air "ship") which would be an off white colour. I was thinking off white would be better than a normal bright shade of white as it'll create an older sort of effect, likewise to the steam punk theme which in general follows a rusty, old sort of theme. The sail would be attached to the space ship by ropes like normal ships would be. The rest of the air ship would be shaped like an old ship, and the texture would also follow an old ship theme, like wooden stripes on the hull and the old fashioned decorations. In the picture below it shows the kind of ship I'm basing my air ship off and it shows the sort of texture I explained (wooden striped hull). I want the control room of the air ship to be at the front with complete glass windows all around it, covering the front part of the air ship. The picture below the ship image shows an air ship with a similar idea of glass window fronting. At the very front of the airship I want there to be a long stem supporting the sail, the bottom image shows what I mean at the front of the ship shown. Finally, the air ship needs a built in weapons at the roof of the ship, I think a plasma turret would suit the fantasy theme, it would also rotate 360 degrees so the characters inside can aim it at enemies at any angle. I was hoping all these features would create an old, traditional looking ship but made futuristic by it being an air ship. This fits in well with fantasy as fantasy follows a theme of old features being used for futuristic models.

Second Vehicle:

My second vehicle is based on a motor bike, however the two wheels are about twice as wide than normal so that they can ride on most surfaces smoothly, it will also make the bike appear chunkier and make it more aggressive like the characters riding it. The motor bike is very large as it is built for the bigger/stronger characters. It also needs weapon/gun holders at the front of the bike on both sides so that the character riding it can fight off the other team whilst racing. I also think that have double guns would add to the power of the character riding it, which makes up for not being protecting like they are inside the first vehicle. I want the bike to be quite low so it forms a more streamlined shape and therefore goes faster. The back of it would have a huge engine and exhausts on show to make it appear more of an aggressive vehicle. I think it would suit metallic gold and silvers because as well as those colours fitting in with the steam punk colour scheme, it would look smarter and more towards the futuristic side of fantasy, opposite to the first vehicle. The body of where the seat is isn't the largest part of the bike, the wheels and other features like the engine take up the most space of this design. The handle bars in front of the seat would be tall to fit better to characters suggested to be riding it, they would also be quite wide but not extremely. The bike generally fits as one shape, everything is level with each other other than the exhausts and handles, this will also add to the streamlined feature so it flows faster. I like how both the vehicles are based on the same theme of fantasy steam punk, yet take off completely different directions within this theme (futuristic and historic) because it provides a variation for the game but fits in nicely.

The image to the left is a perfect example of what I explained with the large exhausts on display.

                              Comparison

In my review I started off by talking about the background of the game which the other two reviews didn't include. I then went through the story, giving a few personal opinions on the way which made it biased. The other two reviews didn't really explain the story which I think was an important thing they missed out as it gives the reader a good background as to what the game is about. They pretty much stuck with their opinions on the experience of the game, rather than looking into different aspects of the game which I tried to do. The biased review did talk about not knowing the characters enough during the game however I disagreed and said that I think the game gives a pretty good understanding of the character roles. However, I agreed with the fact that reading comics or having at least some background information would be helpful if you're really interested in knowing the character's backgrounds.

The critical review did think into others opinions which I think I could have done more in my review. Even though it was biased to my opinion I could've looked into other's opinions in comparison. They also spoke about how unique the batman experience is, likewise, in my review I mentioned that the Batman mechanics were unique. They also stated that the combat is clunky which I also disagreed with as I though it flowed quite well. I guess me saying that sometimes the combat change was slow is relative to it being "clunky" though. The critical review also mentioned about the predator/detective mode being the best thing about the game, I sort of agreed in my review as it's one of my favourite aspects to the game, being able to see in another vision. I think it was important that throughout my review I looked into each aspect in as much detail as I could, also using images to back my opinions up, which the other reviews didn't do.

                   Batman: Arkham Asylum

Arkham Asylum is a third-person action/adventure game, which is also playable in 3D, based on DC super-hero, as you may have guessed: Batman. The game was developed by Rocksteady Studios and during 2009, available on several platforms: playstation3, xbox 360, microsoft windows and OS X. The game actually received several awards, and was particularly loved for its narrative. It even held the Guinness World Record for "Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever". The game then went on to produce further sequels, starting off with Arkham City. I'd personally say that the purpose of this game is to introduce the setting/story and the characters of the Batman Arkham series, preparing for the continues series. I think it almost acts as an introduction for the Arkham series.

The game is set in the Arkham Asylum which holds supervillians, set on the Arkham Island, off the coast of Gotham City. The game begins unsurprisingly with the Joker being captured by Batman, after he assaults Gotham City Hall. The Joker is taken to Arkham Asylum, however Batman is suspicious of the Joker as he basically let Batman catch him, therefore Batman follows him into the Asylum. As we all know, the Joker usually has a plan up his sleeve.. The Jokers secret plan is then revealed as Batman suspected, Harley Quinn has taken over security and releases the other inmates (who are also part of the Jokers gang) as the Joker escapes, aided by a corrupt guard who then kidnaps Commissioner Gordon. Batman is now forced to work alone as the Joker threatens to bomb Gotham City if any one else enters the Asylum. And this is from where the adventure begins!
 Relating to its genre- you end up ripping off vent covers, crawling through vents, climbing over gas filled rooms to use your batarang to break gas vents in order to save the people trapped in these areas. You go on to saving doctors who have been trapped by the villain himself, swinging from gargoyle to gargoyle, keeping out of sight from the Jokers team, using your weapons to their advantage.

You then search to rescue Gordon and this is when Batman comes across Scarecrow and the fear toxin. The toxin makes Batman hallucinate a nightmarish scene, from seeing Gordon's death to seeing the corpses of his parents talking to him. This nightmarish scene continues on into a trippy, stormy scene where Batman fights off Scarecrow by sneaking around scarecrow and shining the spotlight into Scarecrows vision, fighting of the toxin's influence. Moving on to finding Harley Quinn, knocking her unconscious and finally rescuing Gordon.

The Joker then leads Batman to Bane who had previously been experimented on, leading into a fight between Batman and Bane (which took me embarrassingly long to complete..). You are then navigated to the secret Batcave which is hidden within the Island, where you restock your gadgets. This is when Batman learns that the Joker had returned to the Asylum to gain access to Young, who's meanwhile been developing a Titan formula. (Young's intention of the Titan was to use it to help patients survive tougher therapies).
 Young then realizes that the Joker had been obtaining her research which he obviously w anted to use to his own advantage and create an army of superhuman henchman (her refusal to hand over the formula was the reason for the Jokers return to the Asylum).
Batman is again attacked by Scarecrow whilst searching for Young. His fear toxin then causes Batman to hallucinate the night of his parents death.
Batman goes on to destroy Youngs' formula and saves her from Victor, however an explosion occurs and kills Young. This unfortunately lead the Joker to gaining possession of the batch of Titan!
The next fight is with Poison Ivy, who Quinn had unleashed from her cell at the Asylum. However she ends up defeated and put back in prison. Harley Quinn then reveals about the Jokers Titan production facility over in the botanical gardens. Of course Batman heads to the gardens finding out that the Titan is created by genetically modified plants. He tries to get help from Poison Ivy to make an antidote but she says it can only be made from the spores found at Killer Croc's lair in the sewer.

So Batman then heads to the lair but is once again attacked by Scarecrow's doses of fear toxin. Meanwhile, the Joker had injected Ivy with Titan as she takes over Arkham Island with huge mutant plants. Back to Batman and Scarecrow, Scarecrow was attacked by Croc and then disappears. Batman manages to get the spores and returns to the Batcave.
You then defeat Poison Ivy, getting rid of the giant plants. The Joker then announces the "party" preparations are complete and so Batman heads to the Asylum where the Joker's henchmen welcome him! Turns out the Joker has recaptured Gordon and he attempts to shoot him with a Titan filled dart but Batman jumps in front of the dart, resisting the change, the Joker then take an overdose of Titan and turns into a huge monster!
Then final fight is of course the Joker Vs Batman, which ends with Batman defeating
him and the Joker is returned to the Asylum by police officers. The game ends with a good cliff hanger of Batman over hearing a crime incident led by Two-Face and takes flight back to Gotham City in the batwing.. Finishing with a post credit scene of the Titan formula floating in a crate in the ocean where a hand reaches and grabs it.

Arkham Asylum uses dark, dirty colours, such as dark greens, blues and black which brings forth a dark and creepy atmosphere. I like that they also use this colour theme throughout the entire Arkham series. It works as Batman is dark character himself, as well as all his surroundings through out all the comics/movies/games.

The image (from Arkham Asylum) to the left shows the colours and atmosphere explained. Using the dark greens, blues and black it sets a spooky sort of mood. The sky is also foggy and making the moon stand out specifically, representing night. Hence his known name, the Dark Knight.

Like wise, the game follows a style which is very gothic and dark. Every buildings looks old and eerie, the atmosphere consists of a constant fog, the fact it's in an asylum really compliments this theme as it's a creepy figure, itself. The image to the left represents the style of this game quite well, showing old, eerie buildings, a close moon and foggy surroundings.

The game's camera angle is in third person, just behind Batman but slightly looking over one side/shoulder (shown in the last picture to the left). The camera angle changes during fight so you can see what's going on better, it moves you back a bit so you get a clearer angle of your space. I don't think there's too many gadgets on screen, otherwise they'd get in the way or your gameplay view. One thing I could criticise is how visually dark the game is/can be. It can sometimes get annoying trying to see ahead and whilst exploring when the game is so dark you can't picture everything as clearly as I'd like to.

The graphics of the game are very good considering the year it was made. Batman's suit gets worn out throughout the game which I like as it adds some realism. I've always loved the art style of the Batman series because it's so gloomy but detailed, everything appears so miserable but I think it sets a really good mood for the game, especially as it's based on evil trying to take over good, which is a miserable concept itself. The texturing is reasonable, if you look up close to a building the texturing is slightly lazy but on most surroundings/objects the texturing is good. They use texturing to their advantage making things appear old and tattered, showing age or even blood, also adding to the gloomy atmosphere!
The animation flows well, I haven't personally noticed any glitches so if there are any, they're not incredibly noticeable. The animations are pretty much on command without delay, however sometimes during fight, I find it can be slow to process from move to move.

The image to the left is a good example of the aging texture on Batman's suit.

The 3D models are quite impressive. This being aimed at the more relative characters to the story (Batman, Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Scarecrow). The enemies models are okay but could be improved with more detail. I think they definitely captured the main characters models, especially Batman and the Joker (shown below the texturing image).

The sound effects within the game are brilliant, from eerie and mysterious background noises and echo's to the Joker's laugh hackling away in the background. The voice acting is known to be good and is good within this game. Especially the Joker's voice acting is my favourite as it definitely resembles him as best it can. The sound reacts well to surrounding actions, and sounds realistic as it should.

The gameplay mechanics are very unique to any other game. I in particularly like the combat mechanics as you are allowed a lot of control of the combat, there's a variety of moves to make such as counter, strike, cape stun, evade, throw, takedown, ground takedown and then there's the weapons such as the famous batarang, batclaw and the bat gel. One of my favourite aspects to this game and playing a detective is the detective mode. It enables you to detect things for riddles and my favourite part which is showing you were the enemies are and what they're role/what weapons they carry.

Overall I think this game was a great success, probably even the best out of the series. I know that it definitely is the most popular. I felt they really nailed the voice acting and music, the story was traditional Batman and fit in with there scene. The detail with the graphics are one of my favourite aspects of the game, definitely representing the characters as best they can. The story is short however I may be going against many peoples opinions, but I don't think having a short story makes it a bad game. As long as the story has quality I think that's the main objective. Also, if you want more than just the story, there as riddles and puzzles as the Riddler's challenges. I don't really think there's any negative points that could win the game over. Of course the game is best suitable for Batman fans, however I think it's suitable for anyone who enjoys the action/adventure genre. I don't think you really to know background information on the story or characters to be able to understand it, I think the game gives you a good idea and introduction to it all. It would help to know you're stuff by reading the comics or watching the movies if you're that interested in the characters stories and backgrounds. Definitely a worth while game.

Critical Review
"The game is good but not great in my opinion. I can certainly see why people would like it because it offers a very unique Batman experience. However, people claiming it offers the same environment and feel of Bioshock are giving the game to much credit in my opinion. The combat itself is as clunky as the demo was tedious. Punch, counter rinse and repeat. The invisible predator mode is the best thing about the game and is the only thing that keeps it from an even lower score in my book. Another thing is that game is really easy as the puzzles are moronically simple to solve. Seriously, if you can't beat this game in under 8 hours then you are doing something wrong. It's short but doesn't offer much replay aside from the little fighting room mini game with the Joker. The musical score is amazing, voice acting is amazing, story is good, graphics are top notch but that can't save the core game from being extremely shallow and generic. The RPG system where you level up techniques using XP is as simple as it comes. Why even have it if there is no depth? Why not just automatically upgrade attributes. At the end of the day I would say Infamous offers more value for the money and a better experience. This game is really only for Batman fanboys. I can't see myself playing this after I get the platinum trophy which I'm only few trophies away from doing right now. Gameplay - 5 Story - 8 Audio - 10 replay - 7 graphics - 9 Controls - 4 Total score = 43/60 or 7.0 overall Suggestion: Only buy it if you are a hardcore Batman fanboy. Otherwise, it's a solid rental or value buy if you can get it under $39.99. This is just my opinion and I would suggest anyone interested in the game should just try it for themselves"
http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/batman-arkham-asylum/user-reviews

Biased Review
"It's quite simple for me...the only disappointment I experienced while playing this game was the fact that I have never read comic books of any kind before, so considering how the characters of Batman: AA were based off the comic versions, I really didn't know much about the characters that weren't in the movies (I have, nonetheless, seen all the movies, so I do know of the ones featured in them). But at the same time, this was halfway a good thing for me, b/c I found myself excited to unlock the next of many character bio's through the Riddler puzzles. Despite my ignorance of 90% of the characters who were mentioned in the bio's, I have to say that in my opinion, this was one of the most fun games I have ever played. First, everyone must understand the intentions of this game. Those who say the puzzles are too easy or the fighting is too easy or how easily it is for Batman to evade attackers by shooting up to the gargoyles, you have to understand that if you look at who Batman is, these things SHOULD be somewhat easy. He's Batman, for crying out loud. Would Batman ever have a tough time disposing of low level thugs like the many thugs you have to fight in the game?? No, b/c he's knowledgeable in many forms of martial arts, so the fighting should be fairly easy. Would Batman ever have a tough time trying to solve puzzles and riddles like the ones left behind by the Riddler in the game?? No, b/c he is a master detective and an all around genius in every aspect of the word, so the puzzles should be fairly easy. Would Batman have any trouble in losing moronic henchmen like the ones in the game?? No, b/c he is a true master of stealth tactics, so it should be fairly easy to elude the moronic henchmen in the game. That's what needs to be understood about this game...they wanted you to feel like you are Batman. What it's like to "Eat chumps like them everyday for breakfast" (hahaha that was so cheesy it was actually funny), being able to easily get out of a tight spot by shooting into and flying through the rafters, and solving the Riddler's puzzles in a decent amount of time. For those who haven't played it yet, don't let anyone fool you...the combat and puzzle solving isn't as easy as some may say. You will find yourself running through the different possibilities of an answer to a puzzle or the best strategy to use to take down a room full of armed henchmen many times throughout playing. Oh, for those wondering why Batman is so big...this game was made in homage to the comics, not the movies, and in the comics, Batman is pretty big...with the Joker being as thin as Gumby. That's why they are portrayed that way. Yes, there are some minor variations to the characters that do appear in the game compared to their comic book counterparts, but nothing too dramatic. In closing, I will say that if you are a fan of The Bat, you will not be disappointed with this game whether you buy or rent. The same can probably be said about the casual fans, like myself, also. I don't really care if anyone thinks I'm out of my mind for saying this, but based on the fact at how extremely fun and engaging as this game was for me and how I was enjoying the game when I completed everything just as much as I was when I first started the game (which is rare for me), I can honestly say that, to ME, this is in the top 5 greatest games I have ever played. Period."
http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/batman-arkham-asylum/user-reviews?page=1

The first review shows an understanding of both sides and opinions of the game, which to me makes it a critical review. It starts off with an overall opinion, then going on to show understanding of both sides of the debate. Encountering other opinions and then relating/comparing that to their opinion. They explain their dislikes within the combat of the game and the lack of skill needed  for the game- claiming it's perhaps too easy as well as too short as a game length. They then move on to the positives of the game which is the voice acting, music, story and graphics, however then clashes with this by saying the core of the game is "shallow" and "generic". Throughout the review, they roughly even out the negatives and positives, giving a structured critique. They then conclude their review which numbered ratings for each criteria of the game. Overall, recommending the game specifically for "Batman fans" but basically saying the game is not particularly worth it other wise - unless you are interesting in the game for other reasons then to go ahead and try it out. This review encounters and gives an opinion on the majority, if not all of the criteria's of the game. Trying to include and understand other perceptions but overall giving out an honest opinion. They don't put the negatives out in a harsh way, yet they make it clear they are questioning the flaws of the game. I think this review has a critique perception rather than biased, because they aren't a big fan of Batman, themselves. I think if they were a fan it would make their opinion much stronger and personal- perhaps sticking up for the game a lot more rather than pointing out factual aspects of the gameplay.

The next review bases their experience and opinion on the game on their personal views of Batman. Such as stating the only disappointment with the game was that they did not previously know much about the characters involved, which isn't the games fault/deal at all. However, they then add that this could be a positive feature as it made them much more intrigued on finding more out about the characters. The review then goes on to talk about how the game is and should be easy as Batman basically knows all, there fore it would be easy for Batman so should be for his role in the game. I'd say this is a biased opinion as they are a Batman fan themselves and would typically stand up to his greatness, rather then thinking about the gameplay for whoever chooses to play, they might want a personal, realistic challenge for themselves..In other words it shouldn't depend on Batman's skill if he's not actually the one behind the controls. The skill should be likewise to his but I think that would make it pointless if there was no challenge for those personally. However they then add that the game is actually quite challenging. The review then concludes also by saying how this game is mostly suitable for batman fans aswell as casual fans. This review doesn't talk no where near as much about the actual game play as the first review did. They didn't give specific ratings for different aspects of the game unlike the other review and didn't give as many negatives, probably as they were more biased, being a bigger fan. Neither reviews really covered the purpose of the game or background information.

Final Render

Evaluation

This is my final render after the adjustments I made. I also tinted the scene slightly yellow because the photo's I took for primary research also had a sort of musky yellow tint. This render represents the slenderness of the architecture much more than my previous render because the camera angle if from the floor - looking up. My final render delivers the same visual message as my research because during my research I noticed key features within the themes such as Gothic and Romanesque, which I then included in my final piece e.g cobbled stone walls, arches, spikes and the castling. It suits it's purpose as it provides a rotating light which guides in ships. It refers to my concept art 1 as it's pretty much the same however I added a few more features, such as the door and another window. If I had more time I would of added more detail such as gargoyles as they are one of the most recognisable features on this kind of castle architecture. I would of made them on Mudbox and then transferred it to Maya, duplicating it across the building. If I could change anything then I would make the grass base and the sky background more realistic. I also might of slightly sculpted the spikes differently to look more cone like.  

                                        Previous Render

This is my previous render which I decided I wanted to change because the camera angle doesn't relate to my research. The camera angle shown in my research tends to be looking up to the building to exaggerate the size as a main feature and this render does pretty much the opposite. So I'll re render this in a different perspective.

The Process

This was my first bit of progress into my project outcome, I created the basic shape of the sculpture, including the light pole, spiked decoration and castling. From here onwards was to create the detail. 

This shows the rotating system for the light pole. I added two flat spheres to represent a crank handle at the base of the pole so that the light system could rotate - as a real lighthouse would.

This shows the top of the pole where I added a cone to represent where the light is being projected from, because if I just inserted a light, you wouldn't be able to physically see it as an object.

Here I added a sphere, made it yellow and intensified it's glow so that it would appear as a light. This screen shot also shows a render of this glow effect to show how it would appear in my final render.

Next I created an arched window, as the medieval style I was going for follows a theme of arched features. I then duplicated it to create the other.

I then put a bit more detail into the window frame, by extruding the faces and creating a Y shape. I chose this design as through my research I noticed it was a popular feature.  

I made this door in a similar way and added a door knob to the inside.

Then I added a plane for the base and extruded it as a soft selection creating smooth bumps to create a realistic surface.

This is the outcome after I textured everything. I created a brick texture for the castle and wood for the window/door frames as this is what they used for a lot of their architecture at the time. I also added an actual light into the light cone at the top of the pole. I textured the surface to appear as grass and added two upright planes to create a background and textured them to look like the sky. I found that where the two planes met, you could see where they met. So I flipped one of the planes to hide the joining seam.

I added an ambient light into the scene to create a general lighting.



This shows the render of my final outcome, I positioned it at an angle where you can see everything in an understanding perspective so that it looks more realistic. I then realised in my final render that there are no shadows which makes the lighting appear unrealistic. I then came to the thought that a directional light would work better as the direction of the light would create shadows making it look more realistic. Because I previously used an ambient light which creates a general lighting.

This is what the outcome render looked like with the directional light. I prefer this look so kept this light instead.



Concept 3

 

 

 

This is my third piece of concept art and is based on the stone - hand made texture. As that was a commonly used material for their architecture because it was easy to get and use. I included the spikes as these were often seen in Medieval architecture.

 

Concept 2

This is my second piece of concept art, which is more revolved around the Romanesque/French style. It has a timber framing as that's the main feature of this style and also involves a structure at the top, beneath the light. The colour scheme is brown and a yellowish-neutral colour. The brown as it's a natural wood colour and the neutral shade because that's the colour they used with this style of architecture. It's a fairly simple design as in that period of time they didn't have complex designs because it was within their capability.

 

Concept 1

 



This is my first piece of concept art. It demonstrates how the front and side view would appear, they're pretty similar but the side doesn't have a window. I've included in my design some of my favourite features from the medieval architecture style; such as castling on the top of the building, spikes, stone texture and arched windows. I designed it so it would fit in the theme of a castle as that's what most of the buildings during that period looked like. I also coloured it with simple grey and brown colours as during the medieval period, the colour scheme consisted of similar dull colours.

 

Features

  

These are key Medieval features that I am considering including in my final design.