18.03.10: Pamhpletted

The evolution of my introduction to the game is just several pamphlets instead of storyboards but should get the same story across. I've got two detailed sketches with text taken from actual printed works at the time, spaced and weathered as before.

I also have my copy of the letter sent to a Lord which exposed the gunpowder plot and prevented the entire event. I indivudually warped each line to look hand written and added smudges and varying colours to be more authentic. Printed out I think it works quite well :)

For this last copy of an etching depicting the brutal executions of the plotters, I chose to make the ink mess over the top really extensive to reflect the dark nature of the content.

For these next two, I have made all of the text up and used some more time consuming visuals. The weapon advert makes the most of 8 separate large drawings scaled down, which help them look more detailed. The lower portrait shows a much more realistic portrait compared to the other cruder cartoons and should help reinforce the range of styles I'm trying to create, while seeming connected with the overall themes.

15.03.10: Word.

Its been a couple of days back on the design document and I have arranged all of my previous research into the structure of the professional template made available by Supreme Commander's Chris Taylor. It now includes the numerous tables of equipment and upgrades made previously and the latest version of the storyline. I have also started to convert the most important information from my blog as a design history, which is so easy as the words are there waiting to be refined. It's getting there really, and were cruising at around 22k - ive been asking Jay as we've been going along if there's a word limit and he didn't think so, but if he thinks it needs cutting back I can slap a load of the wordy tables in the Appendix.

13.03.10: Well fielded, that man..

As I said previously, I thought there might be a few ways to utilise the river and so I've made a little bridge. It's based generally on the style of old English bridges such as those of Telford and while pretty simple I think it fits right in.

To continue to bulk up the map and add detail, I have created simple patchwork fields across the rolling hills. I have wanted to include them in some way for ages as they look quintessentially British and I think they work pretty well with the cartoony style.

11.03.10: One tree hill.. two tree hill...

I have started removing the large grid of structural lines across the hills and begun tree spamming! Looking at the ways many realistic sandbox games have handled woodland, I saw how you can get away with a mixture of dense forest and more sparse areas, but have a good effect overall. Its relatively time consuming to plant each tree but I think its worth it.

I have also gorged out a small section of river from the terrain, then added a sheet or water. This helps to vary the range of environments and could be developed with wildlife and bridges.

08.03.10: Holy.. Building, Batman!

To add variety and interest to the environment I have constructed a church, based closely on the actual Chapel close to Stokesay Castle. While a stocky, blocky shape, I have tried to include the details which help to make it look more realistic. The first image shows the basic shapes of the tower and two sloping roofed sections, with a small angle cut in at the bottom of the rafters to separate out the roof and make it less of a box. You can also see the slight slope to the tower, making it appear much less blocky.

As with the windmill, I am being much more precise with my lines and faces, so that the building inside and out remains clear, relevant and efficient.

I applied some of the recurring textures to the emerging shape and by using the same ones as the other structures in the map, the building should all feel as if they belong together. I think villages really do appear like this, especially with ones in the Costwolds, as the rich colour of the stone of the local quarries is used for most of the buildings.

I carved away some crenelations atop the bell-tower and they have ended up being quite detailed. The trim continuing around the whole tower circumference shown in the two images below, helps massively to break it up and add detail to a boxy shape. I have textured them in the sandy parchment as with the south tower of Stokesay castle which I think helps to effectively separate out the main faces of the buildings.

I have cut in some simple arched windows as they appear on the actual church, which I shall texture with a stained glass pattern. The shapes and details I am choosing to include on the buildings are much like the process of caricaturing a person. You select the prominent features to describe the object most effectively, saving on unnecessary detail while still including the important information.

This porch is the most detailed part of the church, with individual beams on the pitched roof. As the videos of the map will focus in on certain areas, I have decided to make some places more detailed if they are to feature specifically. As the porch and collection box will be the place in the game that the player can lower their wanted level, I have made it more intricate.

This final shot shows the nearly complete church, just missing the window textures and a weather vane. I think it fits into the landscape really well and shows how I will be able to quite efficiently fill the map with a variety of structures.

06.03.10: Windy Miller

While the terrain is just about there, the world now needs to be filled with detail! I began with another tree type: the mighty pine tree. The drawing itself is within the style throughout the map and as the two images below show, I've gone a bit crazy. From afar, I think the resulting forest looks pretty good and really softens the shape of the terrain.

My next task was to start filling the landscape with other buildings. Some good old English features which I think really punctuate a landscape but are underplayed in games are churches and windmills. As such I'm going to add at least one of each to the map as they are relatively common in rural areas. Starting with a windmill based on one near where I live, I created the very rare sloping octagonal tower and made my first sojourn into the world of Sketchup spheres. The really weird way you make them - of drawing flat circles and arches then making one follow the other to build the shape - took me a few goes to master, but the completed shape is pretty effective.

I then added the detail to the top of the roof; another ball shape. The wire-frame view below shows the range of angles and lines required to build up the shape, many of which I will hide later and bury under a texture.

The next three shots show how I constructed the sails of the mill, which ended up being pretty complex. To start with I had to get the main shaft at the correct angle from the mill, using right-angled lines coming off it as guides for the following structures. The sails themselves comprise the measured, cut out mesh of struts to catch the wind, with a subtle curve on the main support and a couple of tricky angles where it attaches to the main prop. With the sails finished I converted them to a component to make them easy to copy and paste, then repeated it 3 times at right angles.

I think the final model looks pretty cute in the landscape with finishing details such as textures and the fan-tail and doorway on the back. I really think working from real locations helps with the authenticity of the finished buildings, but still works well within the cartoony style.