I successfully created a digital intractable environment that places the character under and altered state of mind of unease and fear. This was produced through a collection of techniques including lighting, colour theory, architecture and sound design.
To progress through this project I mainly used research and mood board tasks as well as experiments as a method to discover ideas and outcomes. I believe that it would be more beneficial for me to conduct more research before I even start working creatively as I began to work on a very specific idea without exploring many other possibilities. Next time I would research more concepts and not only find references.
Looking back at my work and being critical about it I believe I could have done more planning, even if it was just a few more hours of it during the week. After consideration I decided that my work could have used a more experimental approach instead of the very linear and straightforward methodology I used. Expanding on what I just said I believe that I could have made and created more variations of my work using different lighting techniques and colour palettes. Perhaps I am being overly critical of my work seeing that I only had one week to produce this game / experience.
In a way I think this project did kick start my creative work even though it was a little forced. As lockdown has continued it has become harder to come up with creative ideas and motivation, so I have found it quite difficult to get back into a working mindset. The main factor that contributed to me getting through the work was simply that I need to do well and excel so that I can get into my top choice university. My goal is to get a Distinction so that even if I fall a little short on that goal I will still get into my first choice university.
During the next project I intend to change my method of documentation, originally I organised my blog posts into clumps of work that could represent a few days or even a week of work. Next time I plan to create blog posts more often, maybe every two days or so, this will allow each blog post to have more details describing the exact things I did. I believe that most of the screenshots were of the final outcome and less of the process, this is something I have to change during the next project. The most common method I used to document my work involved screenshots of my working developments, notes and sketches. I believe it would have been worth while to create more mood boards to provide a greater variety of inspiration.
The research phase of the project was really an influential moment that expanded my knowledge and furthered my understanding of game design (and specifically level design). Introducing myself to colour and architectural theories and how they can be used to emotionally manipulate the viewer has greatly improved the design of my scenes in my opinion. My technical skills and overall understanding of the program Unreal Engine 4 has remained relatively the same, however I have learnt how to manipulate the lighting of the scene more effectively.
My normal workflow involves creating a digital environment that can be explored through animation, however during this project I created an interactive game experience which required more complex work and methodology. This provides potential to create a more immersive and enjoyable experience compared to watching a simple walk-through animation. Since the beginning of the project I intended to make a game, from the very start I planned to create something that diverged from my usual creative outcomes. During one point of the project my understanding of colour theory dramatically improved the quality of the scenes, I believe this provides me with the potential to create even greater and influential projects.
I believe that I have become somewhat more experimental, allowing myself to pursue a greater variety of ideas and concepts. I believe this took place during the research element of the project as I was able to develop and create many new concepts that I wished to experiment with. With my knowledge of Unreal Engine I am able to prototype and conceptualise very efficiently meaning that I can finalise my designs quickly. With the new skills and knowledge that I have due to the colour theory research I will be able to create more visually interesting and professional work that has a significant emotional impact on the player.
Overall this project provided me with an opportunity to expand my knowledge and creative skill set. I believe that this project was an overall success.
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