Studio 1 - Folio Plan 2: Consolidation

RATIONALE: INTENTION

I will be exploring level design and environmental storytelling in games, in order to support the development of a game prototype. I will be crafting environments related to my prototype, such as nature scenes, small towns, ruins, and barren environments. I will be concentrating on the mood of each piece of level design and examining which aspects of the scene help establish that mood: lighting, colours, style/aesthetic, perspective, scale, composition, etc. I also want to examine scenes which occupy the same physical space, but are separated by time, and create incredibly different moods (a vibrant past and a bleak present, or vice versa).

CONTEXT: FIELD

My work sits within the field of game development and interactive storytelling, but also overlaps with other mediums such as film staging and cinematography. In particular, games such as Gris, Journey, and Limbo, have achieved compelling storylines despite having no dialogue, and instead rely on environmental storytelling, animation, and game mechanics. Furthermore, many AAA titles (The Legend of Zelda, the Fallout series, Mass Effect, The Last of Us, Uncharted 4) also employ a great deal of environmental storytelling and care with their level design, to not only express story, but also to help guide the player (signposting, perspective, attention-drawing objects, etc). 

METHOD: CONECPTUAL, TECHNICAL, CRAFT AND MANAGEMENT

My studio work will be shifting away from a broad exploration of the Godot and Unity game engines, and be concentrating on using Unity to craft a series of possible scenes from my prototype. This will allow me to experiment with the possible look and design of the game, as well as examine the design elements which contribute to the mood and composition of each piece.

PRODUCTION: TOOLS

I will be using the Unity game engine for my studio work. As well as using pre-made assets to design the level, I will also be adding lighting, visual effects, and post processing effects.