Ink Thing

This was an observational drawing of a shell, taken to fit the theme of my oceanic platform game. Drawn with an ink fineliner.

This is the same image, but gone over with acrylic ink.

Feedback Sheet

Artist Research

Artist Research

 As artistic inspiration, I looked to the game “Canabalt”. It has a basic but pleasant visual style, using a greyscale for a landscape, and dressing the controllable character in a simple black suit to make them stand out from the background. In short, it features little in the way of colour or complexity, but keeps visuals clean, concise and simple to make out, yet enjoyable to look at. Using a combination of silhouette and pixel graphics, the game manages to prove that simplicity and minimalism on visual style and gameplay doesn’t necessarily detract from the overall experience of that game.

My 3D research is into the work of Rachel Whiteread. Her usual method involves creating a cast around a physical object in order to create a replica of said object out of concrete or resin. Her works include "Ghost", her first casting of a major building, "One Hundred Spaces", a casting of the underside of chairs, and "Holocaust Monument", a building made of casts of books with the spines turned outwards.

Controls

RULES AND CONTROLS

 Arrow keys will be used for movement. Up is used to jump, and holding the button higher will result in a higher jump. The left and right arrows move the player left and right respectively, and down can be used to duck behind certain interactive parts of the environment to avoid being found/shot (Undecided). Upon collecting a weapon, Z will be the fire key, and X will be an ammunition-independent melee attack.

 The game will also feature several usable items, some temporary, some remaining until used:

•  The first will be a pistol. Requiring several shots to kill enemies, but having a relatively forgiving supply of ammunition and a low fire rate, it allows for basic self-defence, but remains fairly weak as the game progresses.
•  A machine gun powerup will also be available. Firing a lot quicker, but consuming ammunition faster as well, this will be a lethal item, but offer little in the way of long-term survivability.
•  A rifle may also be found. Providing only one shot every second, and having only a handful of shots before being depleted, the upsides to this weapon are that not only does it instantly kill any enemy it hits, but bullets fired from it can penetrate and kill several enemies. Best used sparingly.
•  First Aid Kits can be found in different sizes. The larger the First Aid Kit, the more health it will restore:

 -Small first aid kits restore 20% of the player's maximum health
 -Medium kits restore 50%
 -Large kits restore 100%.

Only one firearm can be held at any given time, and weapons will be scarce, forcing players to consider long-term conservation over temporary strength.

 There will also be several enemies:

•  The most basic and frequent enemy in the game will be the police. As the premise of the game is the protagonist has escaped from prison, the police will be a constant threat as the game progresses. They initially approach the player with batons and attempt to subdue them, however as the game progresses they begin to bring stronger armour and more lethal weapons, becoming harder to deal with.
•  Sea urchins will present obstacles, forcing the player to be careful where they move. They are immune to melee attacks, but can be removed with firearms. Some may also retract after a certain amount of time has elapsed, requiring proper timing to pass.
•  Sharks may attack the protagonist at certain points. These would jump from the bottom of the stage in an arc, damaging the player and knocking them around, possibly into hazards or off platforms. They would also have a lot of health, to make it difficult to kill them without a rifle. However, they drop a medium or large First Aid Kit upon death, providing a motive to stand and fight them rather than ignoring and avoiding them alone.