Unit 73: Sound for Computer Games

Unit 73: Sound for Computer Games

A)

1) Mario Kart- They use a up beat jazzy type music. They do this because it is fast paced so it fits with the game (a racing game). This gets the player excited and give them an adrenaline rush which fits perfectly with the game.

2) Modern Warfare 2- The music they use is serious, dark and dismal. This music gets the player in the zone for what's to come in the single player and multiplayer. It gets the player serious minded for the game which is perfect as the game consists of death and killing so it is dark like the music.

3) Assassins Creed- They use fast beat music in this as it is a fast paced game. They use music with a fast tempo and beat as in the game you are moving around quickly and jumping from building to building which is appropriate. Like I said previously this fast paced music gets your adrenaline pumping which is why this is the perfect fit for this game because it makes the game play better because it adds excitement to the game because when your in a situation where you are jumping building to building trying to escape the guards it amplifies your emotions.

B)

Why is music and sound FX important within games?

Music is very important within games as it amplifies and can create emotions and feelings within games so without them games would seem boring and bland. Imagine for example a horror game without music, in most cases the game wouldn't seem scary at all, without the slow eerie build up of an out of tune piano, it wouldn't give you that tension when walking around a random corner.

C)

What is waveform, (wavelength, amplitude, frequency); pitch; Hertz (Hz); decibel level (dB); sound generator (loudspeaker)?

A waveform is a curve showing the shape of a wave at a given time. This consists of wavelength, amplitude and frequency.

Pitch is how high or low the sound is of something.


Hertz is the SI unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second.


What is Foley?

Foley is the addition of recorded sound effects after the shooting or creating of a game.


What is Timbre?

Timbre is the quality of a musical sound as distinct of its pitch and intensity.

P2 Understand the methods and principles of sound design and production

Sound file formats:

Uncompressed: eg, wav, aiff, au , smp, voc.

 If you convert something from one uncompressed format to another, it's a completely perfect copy. So, for instance, if you rip audio off a CD into WAV format on your computer, then burn another CD using the WAV you created, those two CD's will be virtually identical, despite the fact that you copied it multiple times. 
However a problem with uncompressed files is that they're massive if it was to be compared to a 5g iPod you'd only be able to download 5 albums.

Compressed: MP3, ra and vox.

Compressed formats are those that cut corners in order to keep the file size relatively small. The most famous type of compressed format is MP3, but there are a ton of others, including WMA and AAC . The advantage to these types of files is that they don't take up nearly as much space as an uncompressed file.

Audio Sampling

What do the following words mean:

Sample rate means Sample rate is the number of samples of audio carried per second, measured in Hz or kHz.

Mono, in term of audio,  is an accessibility feature that makes sure, even if you're hard of hearing or deaf in one ear, you never miss a word, note, or sound.

Stereo is sound that is directed through two or more speakers so that it seems to surround the listener.

Surround sound is a system of stereophonic involving three or more speakers surrounding the listener so as to give a more realistic effect.

Wayne Assignment 2

Task 2

People in my Group?

I am the only person in my group which means I will be doing everything in this assignment by myself.

The Plot:

The game is going to be based in a parallel universe from the movies universe. In this universe Jack and Wang haven't been born yet and it is just the young Mr.Chen who is going to battle the Three Storms with his two brothers Wing Chi and Chang Lee (the future leaders of the rival gangs Wing Kong's and Chang Sing's). Throughout all of there lives the three have grown up living in fear for their lives because of the tales Lao Pan and the Three Storms and when they actually saw them with their own eyes Young Chen, at that moment, remembered they were responsible for the kidnapping of their mother and the murder of their father. This then sparks the rage in him and he convinces Wing and Chang to help him bring them down, which they agree. They are already trained in mixed martial arts but they are nowhere near as powerful as The Three Storms not until they find the Chinese Magic potion that Chen's dad left for him before he was murdered.

The Characters and their Background:

   The protagonists we have are Chen (who is fuelled with anger after realising that they murdered his parents and will now stop at nothing to make sure he gets his revenge), Wing and Chang (They were both living on the streets until Chen's parents took them in which is how they met and they too are angry that the only people who loved them were murdered by Lao Pan and the Three Storms.)

 The Antagonists we have are the three Storms and Lao Pan who are terrorising everyone in china town and taking away the children of the china town to sell in their slave trade or to be beaten in to becoming part of their gang.

Locations:

  The starting location for the level is going to be in in the alley way where the two gangs fight in the movie and where, in this universe, they grew up. The second location where I am going to have them 'fight' is going to be outside of the white tiger (the brothel in the film) fighting on the streets in the rain. Finally, the location where I am going to have the boss 'fight' is going to be in the wedding ceremony with all of the gold statues where Jack kills Lao Pan in the film.

Story:

Beginning:

  It all started with a little boy named Chen and a loving family in San Francisco china town, but something was not right, his parents were arguing whether to leave or whether they should stay. His dad wants them to leave but his mum is reluctant. Chen and his brothers Wing and Chan look on clueless to what they are watching as they have never saw them argue like this before.

 The thunder and storm outside is loud and it seems like when they get louder so does the thunder and during the deafening fight between his parents the storm begins to roar until all of a sudden it stops. And when the thunder stops so does their argument. In a flash Chen and his brothers are rushed under the bed by his parents. In the pitch dark void, they hear, in the next room screaming until there is silence. After they hear the screaming stop Chen and his little brothers begin to wonder what was happening behind that door. Then they were greeted by a sight they would never forget. Lying in front of them was his father lying on the floor, dead. In tears they look up in the whole in the ceiling to see their mother being taken away from them by three flying men. As they see them vanish along with their mother they look back down at their father and they see something in his hand and before the police burst through the door Chen snatched it out of his hand before the police could take them away.

Middle:

  15 years on, Chen is now 25 working in an empty restaurant with his brothers washing up the dishes. Whilst taking out the rubbish Chen hears the thunder roar just as he starts to get coated in rain and as he starts to dart back in side, in the corner of his eye, he sees a man in a strange uniform with a huge and at that moment he realised that he was one of the three men who killed his father and took his mother away from him. But then he realises that there is never just one of them, they are always two more that follow. He screams out for his brothers to come at side and when they do realise what they have to do. They all get in the food truck and follow them back to where they have been hiding and perhaps were they took their mother.

End:

  They chase them down to their hidden base disguised as a hotel. They wait outside in the back of the food truck planning what to do when they get inside their base. Knowing that they would stand no chance if they got into a fight with the three storms, they decide to sneak in a not raise any alarms. They successfully sneak in with gaining any attention. They find their way to the elevator but they notice something, this isn't a normal elevator, instead of their being numbers going all the way up to the top floor, there is only one option, to go down. They figure that this must be the way to their base. When they get down it is empty. They see nothing except toiletries and cleaning up materials. In frustration Chang throws a broom at the wall. Chen and Wing turn around and look at Chang because when the broom hit the wall it sounded hollow. They then quickly realised there was another room behind that wall. Before they enter the room they knew that they had to be armed with the special potion which their dad left them, which Chen has always kept with him since that disastrous night. They get through the hollow wall to see what looks like an empty wedding ceremony. As they go to venture into another room, they are welcomed by a little old man. The man asks what they are doing down there in the secret room and before they could answer the Three Storms enter the room from behind the man. Chen and his brothers knew that they were on even ground and without hesitation began charging at them. The three storms surprised by their power, were on the back foot and needed the help of their henchman to stand a chance. After shrugging off the helpless henchmen they carry on with their fight with the three storms and fuelled with anger and enragement they let loose their power and the three storms were beat down to a pulp and whilst two of them are lying there in a bloody mess one of the three storms is curled up in a ball screaming. Suddenly he starting to expand. Chen, Chang and Wing quickly got out of there. As the screams got louder he reached his breaking point and exploded bringing down the building. Chang and Wing were happy that they finally got their revenge but one thing was bothering him. Was that old man the reason his father was killed and the reason why his mother was kidnapped? 



Young Chen



 





One of the 3 storms



First background for the first level

Task 3

Genre:

The genre of my game is an arcade game. It will consist of the player fighting off rounds of ninjas so that you can proceed to the boss when you defeat them all. There will be a boss at the end of all of the levels once you defeat the ninjas. Each boss will have his own location beginning out with the White Tiger for the first boss.

What are the characters role?

The reason the three storms are in in my games is so that it gives a boss battle for each level making the game harder and they also fit into the storyline perfectly. Chen is in the story line to be the main character and to be the hero that gets his revenge. The ninjas are there to be the henchman which will be a hindrance to Chen but will not be too difficult  so that they can build it up for the boss.

What are the differences between the game and the story line?

The big difference between the two are that Chens two brothers will not make an appearance in the game but they are key characters in the storyline. Another difference, like before is that Lao Pan will not make an appearance in the game which doesn't really make a huge difference as he doesn't really effect my story line.





Story Telling- Unit 74 Assignment 1 Analysis of Big Trouble In Little China

Story Telling- Unit 74

Big Trouble In Little China

The Main Characters:

The main characters in Big Trouble in Little China are Jack Burton (2nd in the picture), Wang Chi ( 3rd in the picture) and Ms. Law (1st in the picture) (The Protagonists).

The Side Characters:

The Side Characters are Mr. Chen (protagonist), Mao Yin (Damsel in need), Lao Pan and The Three Storms (The Antagonists).

The Emotional Themes:

The Emotional Themes that are shown through out the film are Romance (between Mao Yin and Wang and Eventually Jack and Ms. Law), Horror (from the antagonists), Action (throughout most of the film) and Comedy (from mostly Jack and Wang.

The Characters Motivation:

Jack: Jacks motivation throughout the whole film is supposed to be to get his truck back but we (the viewer) know that he, under the surface, wants to win over Ms. Law. Although he thinks that he is the hero when it comes to the actual fight he's on his backside for most of it but his massive ego and stubbornness wont let him think otherwise.

Wang Chi: Wang Chi's motivation is to save his fiancé Mao Lin from Lao Pan and the Three Storms. Although he is not thought to be the hero in the film by any other characters he is considered the hero by the viewer but because he is humble he doesn't see it that way himself.

Ms. Law: Ms. Law's motivation throughout the film is to help save all the people that have been captured by Lao Pan. And like Jack she secretly has a side mission which is to impress Jack.

Mr.Chen: Mr. Chen's motivation is to kill Lao Pan at whatever cost.

Lao Pan: Lao Pan's motivation was to capture and marry Mao Yin and destroy any one who threatens that to so that he can carry on living.


Beginning/Middle/End:


Beginning:

The beginning started out with the viewer looking at Mr. Chan explaining about what has happened from the aftermath of the rest of the film. Then after that scene we are introduced to Jack and Wang playing poker against each other and Jack comes out as the winner. Then after that they Jack goes with Wang to collect his money but first they must pick up Wang's girlfriend from the airport. We are introduced to Ms. Law after she catches Jack's eye. Soon after that Mao Yin is kidnapped by a Chinese gang, after which Jack and Wang chase after her. They go down an alley way when two gangs start fighting and half way through the massacre the Three storms arrive and everyone runs off.


Middle:

Chang takes Jack to his home where they explain what is happening to Jack as he is clearly baffled by what has just happened (like any normal person would). Jack, Wang and Mr. Chen then find where Mao Yin is being held and they attempt a rescue. As Jack is attempting to find her the Three Storms take Mao Yin away and take her to Lao Pan. Jack and Wang are then captured by the Three Storms and are placed in a Blocked out room. They escape with help from Mr. Chen and Ms. Law but little do they know, whilst escaping, Ms. Law is taken from a secret door by a monster and after they realize that she has been captured they plan to rescue her and Mao Yin.


End:

They, with help from some recruits that Mr. Chen put together, get in to Lao Pan's Wedding where he is panning on marrying both Ms. Law and Mao Yin. An epic fight breaks out and with the help of a special potion that Mr. Chen put on them Jack and Wang defeat the Three Storms and kill Lao Pan and they rescue Ms. Law and Mao Yin. As they escape they all celebrate and it all ends happily.


What is the relationship between Jack and Ms. Law and does it change?

When they first meet Ms. Law doesn't seem interested in Jack as much as Jack is interested in her, but as the film progresses She slowly starts to fall for him and he to starts to care more about her as well and we see this when they are escaping through the sewage and she is crying out "Where is Jack!" which shows that she cares about him a lot. Even though he would never admit he cared about her a lot and used his Truck as an excuse to stay so that he could impress her. By the end of the film every one else knows that they care about each other as when he says "I'm just here for my truck" everyone laughs because he trying so hard to not admit that he likes her.


The Plot:

Mao Yin has been captured and Jack, Wang are going rescue and destroy Lao Pan and the Three Storms with the help of some friends in San Francisco Chinatown.






Mr. Chen is Wang's Uncle and he is set out to destroy Lao Pan and the three storms and help rescue Mao Yin and Ms. Law.





The Three Storms are Lao Pan's henchmen and they will stop at nothing to make sure that their leader will carry on living.






Lao Pan's sole purpose is to kidnap and marry Mao Yin because she has green eyes so that he can carry on living . He will make his henchmen (the Three Storms) put their lives on the line if it meant that he could carry on living.



Mao Yin has been kidnapped from the airport in San Francisco and is depending on Jack and her fiancée, Wang, to save her with some help from some friends.

Unit 78: Digital Graphics for Computer Games

                                                                    
       Unit 78: Digital Graphics for Computer Games






What are computer Game Graphics:




Computer game graphics consists of these three things Print Media Graphics, In Game Graphics and
Concept Art Graphics. See previous Exercises for in depth explanation from P1.




What is Graphics Specification:


Graphics specification consists of these following things:

• Client Needs
• Audience
• Thumbnail sketching
• Typography
• Composition
• Technical Considerations
• Visual style

Client needs means what the client wants in the game for example the client might want a world war 2 themed game which means that you have to base your game around the Second World War.




The Audience means who your aiming the game at for example if you if it was a horror game it would be aimed at 16 year old males or above.




Thumbnail Sketching's is how the game cover looks on the packaging.




Typography is based around different fonts and how those fonts describe the movie of film for example The Hulks Font is Bold to show to make him look strong as seen below.
 




Composition basically means the positioning of objects within a frame and that positioning makes the view feel




Technical Considerations and Visual Style has already been explained in the previous exercise.

Unit 78: Concept Art

Unit 78: Digital Graphics for Computer Games
Concept Art