Off the Map is a competition set by Game City and the British Library. This year's competition was based on Alice's Adventures Underground, which meant you could make the focus of your level Oxford, Underground, Gardens or a mixture of the three. We initially were considering a mix of perhaps two, however when it came to it, we decided to make an extended level based on the theme of Oxford. In my group were Carla Chanquia, Lewis Gibbons, Jonah Holden-Maillard, Carl James, Andrew Simpson and myself.
This has been our longest running project so far, having started in February. Originally the deadline was the 24th of April, however we were given a two week extension to the 8th of May. I can't really believe how long it's been, but in honesty, I'm glad the pressure is off for this project. I'd be lying if I said I've enjoyed this project in it's entirety. It's... been a long few months to say the least. At some points it felt like we were at a standstill and that the project would never come to an end. It has been a relief to reach the end of this, so that our minds can have something different to focus on.
To tell you the truth, I think this project has made my group miserable and despondent at many points. We started with such enthusiasm for where the project may lead, which only evaporated as time progressed. I believe this to be due to multiple reasons, one being that we started with too big an area, which was probably a bit monotonous at times. I believe if we had started with something smaller then progressed once we had something we were happier with then we would have felt like we were making more consistent progress.
My role in this project was both as a Concept Artist and an Environment Modeller. Both Lewis and I wanted to do concept art, so we were happy to split the roll between us. I think, however, perhaps both of us but most certainly myself, should have spent longer on the concepting stage. A lot of my concepting went into the shops that are around the level and I feel I should have spent more time on the street level and made it more interesting. These are a few of the concepts I produced for the shops in the level. Two of which, the Apothecary and Florist, can be entered.
Our level doesn't have a lot in it which screams Alice in Wonderland, which I think we should have worked harder to fix in the concepting stage. Personally I'd have rather had the level more fantasy based, maybe it could become more twisted and strange as you progress through it. I didn't try to push these ideas too much, as the group consensus seemed to be that we wanted to keep it realistic and I thought hey, in the end the majority rules and in the industry I would have to be flexible. I wish I had ignored this and spoken my mind, I really do, because my enthusiasm for what we were doing eventually ran dry and I began to resent the project as I realised I'd have adored to do something fantasy based and stylised instead.
It sort of became my job to focus on the shops after that. I built generic buildings which could snap together and which I'd be able to plug the shop fronts into, as well as building the Apothecary and the Florist interiors. After this my job was mainly to create assets. I created a multitude of street assets alongside assets for the interiors of the Florist and Apothecary.
These are the assets that I made for the insides of the shops, along with building and texturing the interiors. I think the shop interiors have been the most enjoyable part of the project for me. I designed their layout and appearance, so I kind of felt like I had more licence with these. I think they went pretty well but I'd have liked to devote more time to the concept stage and have spent more time polishing and refining these areas.
These are a few screenshots of the final level. Overall, I do think it's good and I am proud of it... but I think it could be much better and I could be much prouder. I feel sad that it didn't go entirely to plan, however this project has been a steep learning curve and I'm not going to let the mistakes we made stop me from enjoying the achievement I do feel by helping bring this level to a close. I do endeavour to learn from my mistakes and just use this experience to make me a better artist and improve my work ethic.
What worked well?
I think as a team we were considerate of one another and eager to help each other when we were needed. We all got along well and all of us are good team members, I think we just didn't execute the idea to the best of our ability, which is disappointing. I also think we did a good job of getting the level more populated towards the end. The level looked monotonous, so we were advised to clutter it a bit more with more objects and it's really made a difference. It could still use a lot more, but what we've added so far really helps it come to life that little bit extra. One of my favourite things about the level is the rabbit that Carla made. It acts as a character for the player to follow to the end of the level and it's just so beautifully animated. I also think Jonah's work on the pick up mechanics is really good as well. He made it so that when you collected the ink and page pick ups it showed you how many you had left to collect, which I feel is an addition that makes it feel like an actual game and feel like there's a purpose for playing it.
What went wrong?
Well, as I've mentioned before, personally I wish we had chosen a different subject, made it more fantasy based and added some stylisation. The problem is, by the time that this really bothered me, it was too late to say anything. I should have said something in the beginning. The issue there is that I'm not even remotely an outspoken person. However, I'm working on my confidence, which admittedly did grow as I worked with my group more.
I think our biggest problem was the scale. We made something too large too quickly when really we should have been trying to make something smaller then adding to it as we had more time. It wasn't only just that it was big though, I think a big problem is that it's all streets. I think we needed more features to break it up, perhaps a small courtyard or something.
I think we should have been assigned specific things. I think part of the reason I didn't do as much concept work was because I felt pressure early on to start making things that we needed for the level. Maybe this would have been remedied if we'd just had one person working on visualisation, and that was their main job.
What would I do differently?
If I were to do this project again, I'd ensure I was doing something that inspired me from the beginning. I think we were thinking too much about what Game City and the British Library would want from us rather than focusing on making something interesting and beautiful. I've learnt from this that the absolute worst thing is to be stuck in a long project doing something that doesn't interest you. So next time, I will speak my mind, make my opinions known and really push for what I think will inspire me.
I will also spend longer on the concepting stage. I'm annoyed at myself for not doing so anyway, because I feel the visualisation part of a project is the most pertinent part. If that fails, then the rest surely will too. Like I said earlier, I think it would be better if the job was down to one person and it was the majority of their focus. So in that sense I think next time I'd make sure that everyone had concrete roles.
To be honest at this point I'm just glad it's over. My group are taking some time off of it, working on some other projects to make us feel fresh again and remember why we love game art. We'll be having a group meeting to discuss if we want to take this project further, but until then, I'm going to be working on a level with Lucy Burbidge and Amanda Bruce based on Hansel and Gretel, which I'll put regular updates of on here.
I feel like I've learnt a lot from the mistakes made in this project and that can only make me a stronger artist in the future. So, here's to the future!
-Georgia
