GAME ART - EXERCISE: WORLD CREATION
TAN YING YI / 0362425 / BACHELOR OF DESIGN (HONS) IN CREATIVE MEDIA
GAME ART
EXERCISE: WORLD CREATION
INSTRUCTIONS
Exercise - World Creation (Fantasy ) ART DIRECTION Proposal with Sketches and Thumbnails
You are to choose a game that you intend to alter the art direction/aesthetics. (*note that you are not creating a game design, only art) Based on your choice you are to then create a world with initial concept arts and collections of reference and extracting information/components that is shown in your mood board which explains the following:
- Time
- Era
- Ambience and mood
- Back story
- Crisis
- Culture – design component representing their race, worship, colors, materials used, etc
- Ecosystem – who lives there, what do they do, animals, creatures, flora etc
- Geolocation – plain, mountain pass, dungeons, temples ruins, highlands, sea, river, forest etc.
- Architectural design – structure, monuments, relics etc
- Resource – nuclear, oil, crystal etc
- Genre – Horror, Comedy, Drama etc
- Target audience – range max to 8 years
- Theme - (Fantasy – South East Asian) + Sci-fi, Post War, Post Apocalypse, Medieval, etc.
- Classes/hierarchy
- Transport – man made, animal, hybrids, portals etc.
You are to include South East Asian culture, folklore or any unique component to your design. Your art style could be following any style as long as you alter it to define a unique style with functions and aesthetically pleasing.
Submission:
Slide in .pdf format landscape. 16:9
Nier: Automata is a Japanese action role-playing game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. Here's a general outline of the game:
1. Setting and Story
The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth, where humanity has been driven to the Moon due to an invasion by alien machines. The last remnants of humanity are engaged in a war with these alien machines through android soldiers, specifically the YoRHa android unit, sent to reclaim the Earth.
- Protagonists: Players control 3 main characters:
- 2B (YoRHa No. 2 Type B): A combat android who is the main protagonist.
- 9S (YoRHa No. 9 Type S): A scanner-type android, providing support to 2B with hacking abilities.
- A2 (YoRHa No. 2 Type A): A rogue android with her own mysterious past, who later becomes a playable character.
2. Themes
- Existentialism: The game delves deeply into themes of existentialism, questioning the meaning of life, consciousness, and purpose, particularly through the lives of the androids and machines.
- Identity: The concept of what it means to be human is explored through the androids, who are designed to resemble humans but struggle with their own identities and emotions.
- Cycle of Conflict: The repetitive nature of war between androids and machines is central to the story, emphasizing the futility of conflict and the endless cycle of destruction.
3. Gameplay
- Action Combat: Nier: Automata features fast-paced action combat with melee and ranged attacks, hack-and-slash mechanics, and a variety of combat styles.
- Exploration: The game world is an open environment where players can explore different areas, uncover secrets, and engage in side quests.
- Hacking: 9S can hack into enemy machines to disrupt them or gain advantages during combat.
- Multiple Endings: The game features multiple endings, with the true ending being unlocked after completing the game several times from different perspectives (through the eyes of 2B, 9S, and A2).
4. Plot Overview
The game unfolds in multiple stages, with different perspectives and revealing new layers of the story with each playthrough. Key plot points include:
- The initial battle between the YoRHa androids and the machine forces, with 2B and 9S working together to complete missions.
- The discovery that the machines have developed emotions and social structures, challenging the initial perception of them as purely destructive forces.
- The unraveling of YoRHa's true purpose and the dark secrets about its creation and the nature of the conflict.
5. Key Characters
- 2B: The serious and stoic protagonist who is bound by her duty but begins questioning her mission as the story unfolds.
- 9S: A curious and more emotional character, 9S’s hacking abilities make him a critical part of the gameplay and narrative.
- A2: A mysterious rogue android who plays a central role in the later parts of the story.
- Machines: The machines, once seen as enemies, begin to show human-like traits, creating moral dilemmas and questioning the nature of the war.
- Pod: The player's support robot that assists with combat and navigation.
6. Music and Art Style
The game’s music, composed by Keiichi Okabe, is critically acclaimed for its haunting and emotional soundtracks, adding to the atmosphere of the game. Its art style blends futuristic and post-apocalyptic aesthetics, mixing high-tech machinery with desolate, nature-overrun environments.
7. Endings
The game has multiple endings (A, B, C, D, and E) based on the choices made by the player throughout the story. Each ending provides more context to the overall narrative, with the final ending (E) revealing the true resolution to the story's central themes.
- Ending E: A highly emotional ending that involves a significant player choice, challenging the player’s role in the cycle of conflict and offering a poignant conclusion.
The game is set in Japan, so the characters' weapons resemble samurai swords. However, the main scene I designed is a castle within an amusement park, which is primarily designed in a European style. Since the amusement park is ruled by mechanical creatures, there will be decorations throughout that symbolize them, such as carvings on the walls, statues, portraits, flags, and so on. Because the storyline of the game is not very cheerful, the artwork's colors will be rather dark and muted.
I enjoy character design, so this class excites me. Since I am quite skilled at designing female characters, and I previously designed a female character in an anatomy class, I want to challenge myself by designing a male character this time.
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