AGI Studio 1 Folio 2 Plan

1. RATIONALE: Intention

What concepts are you examining in your folio work? What do you want your Studio project to do? 

In Folio 2, I would like to continue my research from Folio 1. I have been examining movement design, how to situate my animations into an interactive space and what their overall effects are. 

In the years I've been animating, I have noticed emerging themes/images throughout my animation training at UTAS, my stint as an animator at AWF and my independent play/work. Namely: floating/flying, liquid physics, teeth, eyeballs, fabric physics, lateral room and character blocking, children characters, musculature (especially of the back and shoulders), the absence of feet, loss of identity, fear of being tricked/misinformed, fear of the indescribable/unknowable/absurd.  

A number of these images have come up again in my Folio 1 works. I'm not entirely sure the origins of my fascinations with these things, but I am aware that in Folio they have taken a new form that is unlike anything I've ever made or considered making. I would like  to let my aesthetic intuitions continue to guide me and see where they take me in my final game design. 

I would also like to continue building my skills in game animation and design because it is a broad subject and I have only just scratched the surface. My goal this semester has been to teach myself to work in mediums I'm unfamiliar with, and the longer I spend working in game design, the better I'll retain information, the easier I'll  have a broader library of tools to pull from in future. 

2. RESEARCH: Who are the outstanding practitioners/researchers/critics within this field/s?

I've never considered myself to be much of a gamer, but over the course of Folio 1, I've discovered new works and been reminded of old works, which have informed my sense of good game design. 

• Loco Roco (SCE Japan, 2006) the first platformer I was ever good at as a child. I played it until I'd memorised it. Its soft body physics informed my sprite animations and my level design ideas. 

• Journey (ThatGameCompany, 2012) is a 3D platformer game, the character design of which has directly informed animations I've been making since at least 2018. Replaying it for class gave me ideas about level design for flight oriented games and taught me to consider scale, direction and atmosphere. 

• GRIS (Nomada Studio, 2018) is a 3D platformer remarkably similar to what I have planned for my final game, though my coincidence more than anything else. Much like Journey, all of GRIS's mechanics ultimately work towards moving the character forwards and upwards, something I've found myself working towards as I layout my level. 

• Bomb Chicken (Nitrome, 2018), is a game I discovered through a video essay on great game mechanics in modern platformers. I've become somewhat  addicted to it since I looked into it for research purposes. After the first screen, no new tools are introduced to the character, just new diverse mechanics involving the same tool you've always had access to. Bomb chicken demonstrates terrifically what can be done with simple minimal game tools when they're built well, and I hope to emulate it. 

3 METHOD: Conceptual, Technical, Craft & Management

How will the work you do in the studio support your intention?

Week 7: 

Triple Jump Research. 

Triple Jump Implementation. 

Sprite Research. 

Music Research. 

Week 8: 

Sprite Research. 

Sprite Experimentation. 

Sprite Implementation. 

Week 9:

Sprite Research. 

Sprite Experimentation. 

Sprite Implementation. 

Music Experimentation. 

Initial Publishing. 

Week 10: 

Sprite Experimentation. 

Sprite Implementation. 

Music Experimentation. 

Music Implementation. 

Playtesting. 

Week 11: 

Sprite Implementation. 

Music Experimentation. 

Music Implementation. 

Playtesting. 

Week 12: 

Publishing. 

Consolidation Troubleshooting. 

Sprite Implementation. 

Music Experimentation. 

Music Implementation. 

Playtesting. 

Week 13: 

Publishing. 

Consolidation Troubleshooting. 

Submission.

4 PRODUCTION: Tools & Plan

How will you make this work, what is your process, when will you do what?

I intend to play with sprites in Photoshop, Adobe Animate and AnimationDesk to produce animations that help me continue exploring the movements, environment and mood of my folio. 

I intend to play with music and sound design through GarageBand and Adobe Audition and have this play inform my workflow of creating my final game. 

I intend to playest my work among my peers, roommates and with the RMIT playtesting club.