Throughout games a key aspect which helps set the mood and pulls the user into a state of being where they become completely immersed in a game and forget the world around them most typically is that of level and set design. Level design is constructed of a series of major points including lighting, scale, structure/architecture, color/contrast and the narrative it expresses.
Lighting, color and contrast all posses the same ability within game design more often then not effecting the over all emotional level. The level of light present within a game; be it a saturated look bleeding out a lot of the color can make a game seem much less threatening then that of game which is much less saturated and darker in feel. This darkness can make a level or area seem much more claustrophobic and smaller then that of one with a large sum of light present. A second use of light within video games is that is can offer visual hints for the user as to events which must be performed properly in order to continue.
The use of colors within games can serve two key purposes the first being setting an emotional feel for the user as well as establishing an underlying theme. This can include using darker colors combine with metallic tints to construct an industrial theme which could be cons crewed as threatening. A contrasting view could be that of utilizing earth tones to construct a more rural feeling system which is far less invasive for the user. The second use of color could offer hints for the user as to where to move next, or help determine a course of action which may need to be established as a result this aids in the narrative within the game.
Contrast is the levels between light and dark, namely the presence to shadow within games, high contrast can increase the emotional tension within a game because it allows for a large sum of areas in which a programmer can place a variety of objects to jump out at the user; all the while the user has no idea whether or not something is actually present. The end result of this use of contrast can end up being rather stressful on the user.
The use of scale within video games is a key portion of the design process, simply because the human eye is very good at detecting things which seem off or out of place within a simulated environment as a result designers must pay close attention to the scale of all objects present within a game. Due to this fact designers must make sure all objects within a game maintain a scale which is consistent, if this is not done properly it is very likely that the user would become of the simulated environment and become less immersed with the game. However, scale can be broken if this is an intended effect which is embedded within the game, this could be done for example to draw the users eye to a specific location or object on the screen.
Structure and architecture within a game are what create the key sets and locations through which the user must navigate ones way through. These sets include background surroundings such as the landscapes which encase the artificial world as well as the large buildings and key constructs which the user can enter climb on or use for an extended purpose. Typically these objects all share a common theme or style base within the game world depending on the different locations in which they are placed be them forest towns or urban town bases.
The legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time:
For the exception of the Shadow Temple and the Ganon’s Castle the lighting though out the came is relatively constant offering a bright lighting pattern which is easy on the eyes. No portion of the game is really over or under saturated in anyway. However, both the Shadow Temple and Ganon’s Castle offer a lighting style which is far less bright utilizing wall mounted torches, lava, or green mist as their key origins for light to emanate from.
Light sources have another purpose within the constructs of the game and this is to offer clues as to how the user could solve a puzzle present within a temple the most operative example of this is present within the Spirit Temple. In this specific temple the user is forced to move light utilizing the mirror shield to activate light sensitive sun faces by reflecting light from specific sources present. The end result is a narrative driven clue for the users which helps move the underlying story forward.
The color palate present within the game primarily utilizes the prime colors to texture all objects within the game. As a result the game relies heavily on bright greens, blues, reds and yellows; however other colors can be present as well in which most of the time these extenuating colors are that of earth tones combines with degrees of black. The overall emotional feel in which this color pattern presents is that of a happier one unto which the user can enjoy.
The use of contrast is not a large design base within the game, even during night time the level of contrast is very minimal in which the levels seem to be evenly lit throughout. The only degree of heavy contrast which occurs within the game is that of shadows from enemies which offer visual hints as to an enemies overall location when they are in a placement outside the user’s screen.
The use of scale within Zelda is a relatively constant base there are no objects which are constructed as being overly small or out of place. However, certain objects were designed to be larger and break the constant scale; these objects took the form of bosses or semi-bosses within temples. The idea behind this action was to make the user feel more insignificant when faced with such a daunting task, the original emotional connotation would be that of dread however upon completion the notion of having destroyed such a daunting foe is a very positive notion for the user to encounter.
Finally, the structure and architecture based objects present within the depicted a world which was set more so in the middle ages then anything else. Utilizing large stone brick buildings in the more wealthy cities or overall locations, clay or mud bases for smaller tones and finally tree based homes for those in forest dwellings. However, there are instances in which this overall them is broken such as when specialty buildings are present on more then one occasion these specialty buildings appeared to be constructed out of metal rather then that of a more cost effective material to the time. The primary result of this action was a cue for the user that that given location may be a building or area worth checking out before continuing on.
Resident Evil 4
As a user moves through Resident Evil 4 one would notice that there is no constant light scheme throughout the course of the game. There are large sums of locations which are super saturated with light and as a result the colors appear to become washed and faded. This uses of super saturation could be performed to lull the user into a false sense of security such that when the lighting pattern changes to that of a much darker base the user becomes emotionally stressed by the change and begins looking out for things to startle the given user. The lighting sources present within the game seem to be related to an ambient light source rather then a global illumination of focal lights.
The bulk of the colors within the game are muted earth tones, as a result the game relies heavily on soft browns and tans. This use of muted colors is unlike any other resident evil game before it and as a result one was a little confused as to the overall goal behind performing this action. However, combined with the supersaturated lighting patterns the overall feel works well.
The presents of contrast within the game is another effect with wavers from extensive to non existent. While the user is moving through locations which are out doors there is little no contrast between light and dark the bulk of the levels are evenly balanced. However once a user enters a building or given structure the presents of contrast becomes quite apparent then end result is a feeling for the user that the walls of the given structure are pulling in and become much more constricting then when the user was formally outside.
Similar to that of Zelda the scale is relatively constant depicting real world size ratios up until boss and semi-boss creations need to be dealt with, at that point accurate scaling goes right out the window and monsters can become any size. However the scaling of buildings relative to their function remains stable.
Finally structure and architecture within Resident Evil 4 depict Spanish based architecture from the 1700’s combined with aspects from the 1950’s to the present. The Bulk of the objects are reminiscent of a time before power tools and cranes constructing homes out of crude plaster and larger buildings out of stone bricks. However not all buildings are depicted the same way some such as mechanical tram systems are a much more present day technology combined with the overall use of metal as the primary texture for such structures. As a result the whole level design and overall structure base seems unified and aids in pulling the game together successfully.
sunday, january 17, 2008