creating horror and immersion with the art of dead space (which could be canceled any minute)
DESCRIPTION
Creating Horror and Immersion with the Art of Dead Space (which could be canceled any minute). Ian Milham Dead Space Art Director. Lullabye Trailer. Outline. Where we started Horror vs. Sci-Fi What We Did Color and Lighting User Interface Environment Design Player Character - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Creating Horror and Immersion with the Art of Dead Space
(which could be canceled any minute)
Ian MilhamDead Space Art Director
Lullabye Trailer
Outline• Where we started• Horror vs. Sci-Fi• What We Did
– Color and Lighting– User Interface– Environment Design– Player Character– Weapon Design– Enemies
• What Went Right / What Went Wrong• Work-in-Progress Examples• Q&A
DEAD SPACE GOALS (JAN ‘06)
• Create new survival horror franchise (not a lot of competition compared to market, EA had none)
• 85 Metacritic
• Don’t get cancelled and screw up new I.P. green lights for others
LET’S NOT GET FANCYRisk tolerance already maxed out before starting:
• New IP vs. Simpsons, Lord of the Rings, Godfather
• Small Team • Almost No engine when we started
• Stylization works against horror
HORROR VS. SCI-FI ACTION
HORROR
(Little Competition)
Slow Movement, Exploration
Less Combat, More Lethal
Environmental Storytelling
More Mystery
Fragile Everyman Player
SCI-FI ACTION
(Tons of Competition)
Fast Movement
Frequent Combat, Less Lethal
Action Storytelling
More Explicit
Superheroic Ass Kicker
ALWAYS EMPHASIZE HORROR!
keys to horror art direction
Accessible, Believable, and Relatable• Games already a step behind film “reality”• Not too many logic leaps required • Easy to relate to• Keep magic tech to a minimum (No Lasers or force fields)
Immersive• Once we’ve got them, don’t let go• Don’t remind them it’s just a game
Must Move Away from Sci-Fi Action!
RIGHT, SOUNDS EASY ENOUGH
“ACCESSIBLE, BELIEVABLE, RELATABLE, and IMMERSIVE”
• Color and Lighting• User Interface• Environment Design• Player Character• Weapon Design• Enemies
RIGHT, SOUNDS EASY ENOUGH
“ACCESSIBLE, BELIEVABLE, RELATABLE, and IMMERSIVE”
• COLOR AND LIGHTING• User Interface• Environment Design• Player Character• Weapon Design• Enemies
COLOR AND LIGHTING
DAVID FINCHER
Ambient Texture Only
+ Ambient Occlusion
+ Lights
+ Shadows
+ VFX Light Source Textures
+ VFX / Bloom/ FSAA
+ Color Look-Up
Using color to show progress and build emotion
Using color to show progress and build emotion
Using color to show progress and build emotion
Using color to show progress and build emotion
RIGHT, SOUNDS EASY ENOUGH
“ACCESSIBLE, BELIEVABLE, RELATABLE, and IMMERSIVE”
• Color and Lighting
• USER INTERFACE• Environment Design• Player Character• Weapon Design• Enemies
WHY WE HAVE NO HUD
Typical game HUD elements were found to work against horror. It killed our believability and immersion.
WHY WE HAVE NO HUD
Scary! Not Scary!
No World Interface
First Round
Added Door Halos
Added Directional Signs
WIN!
RIGHT, SOUNDS EASY ENOUGH
“ACCESSIBLE, BELIEVABLE, RELATABLE, and IMMERSIVE”
• Color and Lighting• User Interface
• ENVIRONMENT DESIGN• Player Character• Weapon Design• Enemies
NEIGHBORHOOD LOOKS
Industrial Public Clean
INDUSTRIAL
PUBLIC
CLEAN
RIGHT, SOUNDS EASY ENOUGH
“ACCESSIBLE, BELIEVABLE, RELATABLE, and IMMERSIVE”
• Color and Lighting• User Interface• Environment Design
• PLAYER CHARACTER• Weapon Design• Enemies
RIGHT, SOUNDS EASY ENOUGH
“ACCESSIBLE, BELIEVABLE, RELATABLE, and IMMERSIVE”
• Color and Lighting• User Interface• Environment Design• Player Character
• WEAPON DESIGN• Enemies
RIGHT, SOUNDS EASY ENOUGH
“ACCESSIBLE, BELIEVABLE, RELATABLE, and IMMERSIVE”
• Color and Lighting• User Interface• Environment Design• Player Character• Weapon Design
• ENEMIES
Outline• Where we started• Horror vs. Sci-Fi• What We Did
– Color and Lighting– User Interface– Environment Design– Player Character– Weapon Design– Enemies
• WHAT WENT RIGHT/WHAT WENT WRONG
• Work-in-Progress Examples / Q&A
RIGHT: PUSHED INTERNAL PR HARD
RIGHT: 3D CONCEPT ART
RIGHT: 3D CONCEPT ART
RIGHT: DID LESS, POLISHED MORE
• Polish and Presentation highest scoring aspects of DS• Controlled what problems we tackled• We cut off rendering features early.
– Relatively modest rendering (no HDR, basic shading)– Artists had final tools early, learned them well
• We cut off content early– Engineering Alpha 4/18– Content Alpha 5/31– Content Lock 7/31 (No A or B bugs)– Audio Lock After Everyone else (huge win)– Ship 10/14
• Tons of Focus Grouping, time to properly respond
WORK IN PROGRESS EXAMPLES / Q&A
• Dismemberment Prototype (Spring 2006)• Xbox Whitebox Capture (Summer 2006)• Pregnant Necromorph Pre-Viz (Winter 2007)• Lurker Necromorph Pre-Viz (Winter 2007)• Leaper Necromorph Pre-Viz (Winter 2007)• Infector Necromorph Pre-Viz (Winter 2007)• Grabber Necromorph Pre-Viz (Winter 2007)• Greenlight Demo Capture (Spring 2007)
Thanks!