For this blog post, I'd like to talk about Graphics in video games as it can be a key component of the game that can make or break the game. One of the most important parts of graphics in videogames is the colors that are used to allow the game to fully strive in how it looks. A lot of these newer games coming out seem to have this problem where they decide to have a million sources of light on the screen and you can't even tell where the enemies are. When you take a game and you don't overcomplicate the graphics and use nice contrasting colors, it allows the player to easily understand what to do and not have to worry about figuring out what the heck they're even looking at. Another huge problem that some companies seem to be interpreting in their games for I don't even know what reason are things such as motion blur, film grains, and more. I can't even comprehend why you would ever want to include something that is originally a film imperfection such as a film grain as it just makes the game look absolutely terrible. With motion blur, it makes it so basically whenever you turn around the graphics go from good to absolutely terrible. If the game company really wants to include motion blur, then at least give the player the option to turn it off. A really good example of a game that does graphics I think perfectly is Super Mario 64 due to the game having not the greatest graphics in a sort of high-quality mindset, but everything is simple enough and the colors contrast, allowing the player to understand every single object on the screen and what they're looking at. Conclusion -
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Over the past couple of weeks, we've been working in Adobe Animate with 2 different projects. We've had the opportunity to use this software and really try to learn as much as we can about it. Currently, I've only done one of the 2 projects but I still have many opinions to share on this new software. One of my initial reactions was that the interface of Animate is very different than the other Adobe softwares that I have used. There are still some of the same things from previous ones though, for example, there are many of the same tools. One tool that is used heavily in Adobe Animate is the pen tool. You typically use it to create whatever you're trying to animate. For my first project, I used the pen tool to create the body, mouth, and teeth of the monster that I animated. One thing that I think is true is that the pen tool works exactly the same as in the previous programs (I might be wrong on this). One thing I consistently had trouble with was the remembering of how to create each different tween and how to create new keyframes. Since we typically don't spend that much time in one program, it can sometimes be really annoying to become familiar with the interface and be comfortable with it. With that being said, as I move into my next project I have some concerns with how I'm going to create my animation as for the next one we will have no guided video. Conclusion -
Idle Animations in video games are a key element to making the game look amazing visually. For this post I'd like to talk about not just one but two of my favorite Idle Animations in video games that I find amazing. The first I'd like to talk about is Mario's shiver animation that occurs when you are in an area with lower temperatures and you leave the controller unattended. What I find great about this that it adds to the environment that the player is in by making the player really feel as if they are in a colder area. In Super Mario Odyssey Mario will also sweat and get tired when in hotter areas of the game. The reason why I really find these details interesting is because the game has multiple different idle animations for different parts of the game. Another of my favorites is in Ocarina of Time where Link will adjust his belt if the game is left alone for a while. The reason why this is such a great idle animation is because it works so naturally and makes the game look much more real even for an older game such as this. Animations such as this can make a game seem so much more alive than other games where the character will just stand still when not moving. Idle animations are one of the things that can be seen as a small detail that makes a huge impact on how the game looks and feels. Idle animations can make a game go from lifeless to lively. Conclusion -
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been digging my way through the incredible masterpiece that is Smash Bros Ultimate. The game has more content than almost any other game that I personally have played so far. There's over 1000 unique songs, over 100 different stages, and 74 different playable fighters. One aspect of the game that I'd like to talk about is the unique physics of the game. Each character in the game has their own specific knockback ratios, hitboxes, windboxes, and many more features. Simply the way that each character flies through the air when hit is specific to the move they were hit with, the % damage the character is at and the weight class of both characters. In smash ultimate there are 22 unique moves per character MINIMUM. One of my favorite aspects of Smash Ultimate would have to be how large the skill floor is. There are players ranging from new players all the way to completely frame perfect players. Some of the best players in the world are able to perform moves that have a 1 frame window to press the button at the perfect moment and with the right amount of force. Smash Ultimate is always pushing the player to learn more and get better. The game starts you out with a small amount of only 8 fighters and lets you develop your roster to all the way to 74. Smash Bros Ultimate is up in my top 5 favorite. games of all time due to the mass amount of content the game holds, the unique move sets of every different character, and the sheer enjoyment that I have while playing the game. Conclusion -
Bibliography
BagoGames. “Ready for Round 4? | Super Smash Bros. (Ultimate) Review.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 26 Dec. 2014, www.flickr.com/photos/bagogames/15928355827. Instacodez. “Super-Smash-Bros-Ultimate-090818-049.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 9 Aug. 2018, www.flickr.com/photos/161227653@N02/43894733432. When writing this post I have currently just finished my saving of cels in Illustrator and I am ready to transfer to After Effects. I'm writing this blog post to share my initial reflection and reaction on what I've experienced creating 120 cels in Illustrator. One thing I noticed immediately off the bat was exactly how much time it takes to upload 120 different cels to Illustrator. When creating the squash effect in Illustrator I used the direct selection tool to edit my specific handles on the ball to make it squish so it looks as if it's really hitting the ground. One thing I found difficult was keeping track of what cel I was on and remembering to switch to the next one after each export. One thing I found aggrivating was having to rename the cel every single time. When setting up my path for the ball to "travel" on I decided to make it bounce multiple times to make the animation more lively than just a couple high bounces. I decided to use red as my color for the ball as it contrasts with the color of the sky. One thing I wish I could have done would be to have some type of software that could change the name of each file to the next number corresponding the previous file. This would have saved tons of time in the long run, and if I were to be creating another animation using the same technique it would help a ton. In future projects I hope there's a more effecient way to create our animations. Conclusion -
Over the past couple of weeks, we've been developing our skills in Illustrator and we are beginning to change path over to Animation. For this blog post, I chose the topic of Stop Motion Animation as I find it interesting how realistic some of these films can be. For those who don't know, Stop Motion Animation is basically where someone takes several photos in small increments to create the illusion of motion. What you do while creating this is you take whatever the scene you're filming and very slightly alter the scene as if it would be a split second later over and over again. Some of the most famous stop motion animations include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. I think that my some of my skills from Photoshop and Illustrator will help transfer over as they have taught me how to use a program and how to approach learning new software. The link above is a video of an example of a way that you can use stop motion. The entire scene doesn't have to be completely stop motion, instead, you can have green screens set up to add to the scene to make it more complex. This link is a for a video where a stop motion animator goes into detail on how he does his job and how it's performed. I found this video very interesting because it shows you how much effort and detail they put into these films and it really allows you to see just how much time they spend on their work. Conclusion
Work Cited
Originals, Academy, director. Credited As: Stop Motion Animator. YouTube, YouTube, 21 Dec. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij3IbplMisAv. Parry, Kevin, director. STOP MOTION Animation Reel. YouTube, YouTube, 14 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCVXWk2im2M. In the past couple of weeks I have been able to advance my ability inside of Adobe Illustrator. We have currently done 3 projects inside of this software, creating a slice of pizza using different shapes and allowing us to advance skills in the shape tool, creating badges to develop our practice with multiple tools and the most recent one, creating a hamburger using multiple different tools. What I found the most difficult was using the pen tool as it is very easy to make the shape look rigid or bendy in weird ways that cripple the design that you’re trying to make. When creating the buns of the burger we had to mess around with the mesh tool and try to make the buns have a slight glow to them to make them look more vibrant and realistic. One thing that tripped me up while putting things together was remembering to use the drop shadow effect. When creating the hamburger you have to be completely sure that each piece of the burger lays down correctly in good positions and that everything overlays in a completely realistic way. When adding lettuce I decided to edit each piece and make mutliple different pieces to make it looks much more like actual lettuce. After finishing every other piece I moved onto the ketchup which ended up being the hardest piece. After finishing the ketchup I edited everything and finished the project. Summary -
MLA Citations -
“Illustrator's Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide.” Design & Illustration Envato Tuts+, design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/illustrators-pen-tool-the-comprehensive-guide--vector-141. “Meshes.” Conceptos De Modos De Color En Photoshop, helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/meshes.htm Photoshop is not the only software available to making and editing certain images to high extents. There are multiple other program alternatives that allow you to do very similar things. One example of an easy free alternative to Photoshop is Pixlr. Pixlr is a way for young artists who don't have an opportunity like me to be in a class with many software options, can use this to make their own masterpieces. Pixlr is a program that has many tools that are with a same use as in Photoshop. This allows for a simple solution to not having an access to Photoshop and allows them to create artworks with a similar feel to the piece. Free alternatives allow people who are unable to access tools like Photoshop without spending anything. Using a free alternative allows that artist to create a piece for completely free, in which they can earn off of the artwork. They are opened up to the opportunity of earning money to purchase Photoshop and develop their skill further. Another example of a free source that is available to nearly everyone is Adobe Photoshop Mix. This tool is essentially a lightened and more simple version of Photoshop that also could be a program for artists with little to no experience. This software has less tools and in depth options like Photoshop. Most of the time when in Photoshop you will find options inside of every option. But when using Adobe Photoshop Mix, you have most tools given to you straightforward and clear, with the main necessary functions of Photoshop. Summary -
After our various projects in Adobe Photoshop, we are moving on to Adobe Illustrator. The biggest difference between the two is how Photoshop uses bitmap graphics while Illustrator uses vector. Illustrator is mostly strictly using certain shape tools in various and unique ways to make an image. Photoshop and Illustrator have a lot of similar tools and a layout that works and looks almost the same as each other. Some things that I have noticed from looking at some videos of excellent uses of Illustrator is how that the software can be used to such high extents that allow the user to create a beautiful masterpiece. The software can be used for some very complex large artworks that have an amazing look and feel to them although the software can be used by beginners to make simple things such as easy icons. Recently in class we have been working on creating badges in Illustrator (Image above is not my work). As I worked with the software I realized that such a simple concept of using shapes is a very easy way to create basic but effective art pieces with very little knowledge of how to use the program. You have multiple shape tools that have a bunch of settings to change the amount of sides, the size of the shape, etc. So far we have been exploring a small amount of each tool and how to use the shape builder tool to allow us to cut certain shapes to our liking. So far I am preferring Illustrator over Photoshop. Conclusion -
Citations -
Ujjainkar, Prashant. “ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BADGE.” DESIGN WITH PRASHANT, designwithprashant.blogspot.com/2017/05/adobe-illustrator-badge-design-with.html. Staff, Digital Arts. “There's a New Gradient Tool Coming to Adobe Illustrator.” Digital Arts, Macworld UK, www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/creative-software/new-gradient-tool-adobe-illustrator/. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been working with bitmap graphics in Photoshop. We've been practicing using multiple different tools, but one tool that I have found to be one of the most useful was the Quick Selection Tool. The image above is an example of a usage for the quick selection tool. We took a black and white photo and converted it to color using blend modes. I used the quick selection tool to select certain parts of the image specifically and converted them to color. The tool allowed me to make very precise selections to make sure everything was changed correctly. I have found out that the tool is the most useful when used in combination with the pan tool and magnify tool. Using these tools in combination with quick selection allows you to make precise selections up to the pixel. Another tool that I have found extremely useful in Photoshop is the Quick Mask Tool. This tool allows you to remove portions of an image and it will not destroy the edited portions. The image above is an example of a usage of the quick mask tool. I used different images from the internet and merged them together to form a sandwich. I used the quick mask tool to remove the white border from each image, as a white border would result in a very non-realistic looking image. The tool allows for a very quick solution to remove parts of an image that are unwanted with ease. There are multiple more applications of this tool than just the example shown above. Conclusion -
Citations -
Gerondelis, James. “James Gerondelis.” James Gerondelis, 2018, jgerondelis.weebly.com/. (Citation for both images used) |
AuthorMy name is James Gerondelis, I am 14 and in the 9th Grade at Durham School of the Arts. This is my first year of Game Art & Design. Archives
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The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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