week 9
lighting
There are a variety of methods through which a game designer can reach out and affect a user on a greater level more so than that of a bare narrative aspect; examples of this include the lighting systems and the methods associated to that given design processes behind them. The largest result behind lighting in videogames is a level of enhancement which makes the game more appealing on an aesthetic level. However, lighting serves a multitude of other functions including the building of dramatic tension, creating visual focus, adding style, establishing a feel of space, composing a timeline, or simply adding visibility.
The construction of dramatic tension in videogames as related to light and lighting setups is a relatively simple process and is created by the adjustment of lighting levels and the strengths of the given lights. Simply put, as a means to increase tension a designer may have a scene become much darker which creates a more dark and brooding atmosphere for the user.
Visual focus within a given game as composed by light within a game is again a simple process for the designer. Namely a designer may demonstrate a focus of interest for a user in order to guide them to a given location by lighting that specific area differently then that of the rest of a given space.
The establishment of virtual space within a videogames is related to a strategy practiced by interior decorators and graphic designers for years prior to the creation of videogames. It is a strategy which works on two simple rules bright or lighter colors make a given space seem more open and expansive and dark colors pull a room together and make it feel more compressed claustrophobic in essence. As a result, if a lighting designer uses a great deal of lights with high intensities in a given space, said designer can make that space seem much more expansive virtually as apposed to making it seem more confined through the use of fewer more dimmer lit light sources.
Using light to compose a time line or sense of time for a user is a great way in which designer can easily enhance the narrative behind a game because the style used allows the user to infer as to the time of day in a given portion of a game. If a lighting set up is more dim one could assume that the current portion of the given game is occurring at night where as if the lighting was more gloomy one could infer that it is either dawn or dusk, and finally if the lighting set up is seems to be brighter one can assume that the given event is occurring at some point through the course of the day.
Finally, the more obvious of function bases behind lighting in videogames is simply to improve visibility for a user while playing a game there by making it more easily to maneuver and there by making it more fun essentially.
When constructing lighting plan for a video game there are two methods to which a designer can utilize the first one being a static based lighting system and the second being a dynamic based lighting system. In correlation however, there are both pros and cons to each and as a result a designer must decide which method best suits their given needs for the game.
A static lighting plan is usually a pre-constructed lighting system which is very stable and comfortable for the user to negotiate through. However, it does not have any means through which it can adapt to different environments and narrative situations; as a result there is far less designer control behind that given system.
Dynamic lighting plans however allow for a great deal of customization for a designer while designing and constructing the given game. The draw backs arise when with two predominate issues the first off being that the lighting plans can become very monotonous for the user since it does not allow for huge variations from given lighting patterns once they are set and finally it does not cope well with user unpredictability.
As a designer one must infer as to the course through which a user may take or an event one may attempt but ultimately humans by nature are unpredictable and will try anything given the opportunity; that is why a designer must try and design a lighting system which deals with this randomness most efficiently.
The lighting configuration for a designer ultimately follows a series of steps in the construction process all of which examine a different portion of the game being designed such that the lighting style reflects the emotional feel of said game most accurately. These examinable events are the story, conflict versus dramatic tension, the timing of dramatic progression and physical configuration (the cameras orientation and position as well as the characters position and orientation).
The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
In regards to the overall lighting and lighting design setup in a game such as “The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time” there is only a limited amount with which one can elaborate on; not because of the fact that there was none but rather due the time frame from which the game emerged. This particular Zelda hit the market late in 1996, only two years after the introduction of the N64 console system as a result lighting 3D space within a game possessed very limited capabilities.
Zelda utilizes a static lighting plan in its lighting design as a result there is little differentiation between the lighting and brightness throughout the levels. As a means to compensate for this fact the designers added a visual fog in specific locations to make the environments and lighting seem dimmer, the best such example occurs in the shadow temple or forest temple when in certain locations a fog seems to be cast about. However, what gives this method of compensation away would be the fact that the user’s avatar Link is evenly lit and equally as bright as when the fog was encountered.
The use of lighting within Zelda performs three functions within the game; these functions are that of building dramatic tension, establishing a time line and finally simply adding visibility.
In way of dramatic tension in relation to lighting within Zelda the breakdown is as follows. Zelda is established as being a more light hearted adventure game created for all ages; as a result it is lit very brightly an action which is used to mirror this light hearted nature. However such an action does not allow designers to create much dramatic tension for the user by maintaining such a technique that is why as a means to compensate in moments where dramatic tension is created the designers have the background lighting becomes much darker but maintain the same level of brightness on the avatar Link. By performing this action the designers create this pseudo idea of dramatic tension through lights within the game.
A strict timeline within Zelda is not one of the key features since a user essentially can take as long as they would like before beating the game. However, the use of lighting at key points throughout the game can aid in creating the illusion of time. Depending on where the user is moving through in the virtual space of the game time does pass moving through all the lighting stages of the day, being night, dawn, day and dusk. In reality this transition between the different times of day acts as a visual cue for the user in regards to certain changes which may occur between character actions between night and day. Some location which have this time transitioning effect include Hyrule field, Lake Hyalia and the Desert Colossus.
Finally, the lighting design and lighting set up within “The Ocarina of Time” is used to add visibility to many aspects of the game. The most effective example would include the fact that in a series of dark caves or temples within the game when no external light source is present the rooms remain evenly lit for the user. As a result the user is never stuck wandering around in the dark.
Resident Evil 4
Similar to that of Zelda, Resident Evil 4 utilizes a static lighting plan throughout the course of the game. However, unlike Zelda this game has the lighting plan evolve over the course of the game becoming much more elaborate as a means to increase the overall contrast between shadows especially within buildings. Another difference between the two games would be the fact that Resident Evil 4 takes advantage of alternate sources of illumination such as torches or fire in general. This use of fire causes cast shadows to move and seem more fluid with the environment and less of a simulation. As a result it helps pull the user into the game to a much greater degree thereby improving game play for the user.
The use of light and overall lighting plans relative to the overall design serves many purposes in the game which act as a means to further the narrative and imbue a certain level of pleasure onto that of the user. These uses include but are not limited to the creation of dramatic tension, establishing visual focus, enhancing a feel to virtual space, and composing a timeline.
As a user moves through the course of the game as mentioned prior the lighting is constantly evolving giving more emphasis to shadows and dark spaces strewn about. Initially the overall contrast within the game is very mute as compared to other Resident Evil games, however by the end of the game the use of shadows and contrast as created by the overall light sources or lack there of emulates the feel that one would achieve from the other games immensely well. As a result the dramatic tension which the user experiences while playing the game evolves with the lights, something which one would find very engaging.
Utilizing light to establish points of focus is an event which occurs a few times throughout the course of the game. The most common being the fact that certain areas are lit to a brighter extent then that of the surrounding area. This is used to guide the user not to a new location but typically a clue or hint as to how to solve a puzzle later on in the game such as a door missing an optical scanner.
As the game progresses the user moves from more open spaces to that of more confined locations such as dark hallways and the inside of ancient Spanish castles. In way of lighting progression however the lighting transforms from more open feeling bright areas for the outside to darker more confined areas for the internal aspects. As a result the user’s experiences move from being freer roaming and open into something much more confined and restricted.
The final aspect of lighting and its relative user within Resident Evil for which shall be discussed is the fact that the transition of lighting within the game allows for an established timeline to develop for the user. As the user progresses through the game the lighting is set to emulate that of day time traits however as different cut scenes occur the lighting becomes darker and darker until it is that of the night time. Due to these lighting transition a user is able to infer that the actions and events which occurred in the game took place over a twenty four period rather then some indeterminate amount of time.
It is these lighting techniques and uses for lighting which occur in both The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time and Resident Evil 4.