The following development log contains the development process of all of the work that I have contributed towards the final product that both my colleges along with myself have worked on over the course of the last 6 months of the academic year. Below it will go into detail regarding the development process regarding everything that was provided, how it was created with the stated software, and an evaluation of my efforts at the end of the page.
The link provided on this paragraph will take you to a PowerPoint presentation that contains a journal of what was accomplished, revised into a brief summary with images and occasional paragraphs, to show the progress achieved on a daily basis for the major project:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14sFqBzXBO42ESRafabxmgK2spgY0_l2LbMqF5iEs6Gc/edit?usp=sharing
Forming the group
The group was formed on the 3rd of October on the second time tabled week of the year, the group consisted of myself, Arian, Keir and Ryan initially, though Cohen would also join us later on down the line. We immediately established 2 forms of contact so that we could effectively communicate idea’s.
The first would be a google slides file that each of us could contribute to at all times, and would be the main way that we would put idea’s and suggestions down onto the table.
The other would be a discord group chat where can more directly communicate with each other on the idea’s in question, either when it came to discussing what idea’s were placed onto the table, or for if something came up which may impact the work process later on down the line.
Potential game idea’s
As soon as the group was formed, we began to form idea’s almost immediately and began to drop them down into a note pad, so that we could discuss them further later on down the line, and discuss what could be possible in making them into actual games.
The group initially consisted of 4 people including myself, though eventually a fifth person was added to the team.
From our initial discussion, we had conjured up 3 separate idea’s that could be potential things to develop into a game. One was of a puzzle platformer game, where the player would use a torch to reveal invisible platforms as well as make enemies disappear. Another was a combination of Luigi’s mansion’s mechanics with the horror aspects of P.T, which is what I contributed to the group in terms of potential game idea’s. And the third was actually from a previous assignment last year where the player would rotate various tiles to make a source of energy make it from point A to point B.
Eventually after a brief discussion, it was agreed to merge all 3 idea’s into a single game, since the aspects from each idea could be used in a variety of ways in order to potentially make a notable title out of these various concept.
This google slides document would be expanded constantly throughout the weeks with added information to each of the slides as so that the team would know exactly what the overall plan for the project would be.
At this time, whilst information was being added to the main slide where everyone would be able to view the info, I began to set up the personal document which would contain all of my contributions as well as document every step of the way, as to ensure that progress would be coming along smoothly at a constant pace.
Whilst waiting for the presence of the 5th group member, I decided to begin work on some rough concept art for potential designs for the flashlight within the project. These would only be rough concepts so details would be kept to a minimum as to make them fairly easy to understand and implement within the game should they choose to use them.
I eventually conjure up these two designs that the team could use for the flashlight within the game.
Each of these flashlights were based of the following models.
These two designs were chosen for the concept designs, as both were relatively simple in terms of a visual design that could fit with whatever visual design that we were going for with the game.
Development – November
Development began as soon as the presentations were over, and we all got to work. I initially enquired to the team, asking them if they were in need of any assets to be created by myself, though I was met with a swift response that stated the following:
Since they had not specified any specific objects that were needed at that current moment in time, I decided to expand on my concepts for flashlight operating modes to deliver to the team that could be used to make into potential game mechanics.
At the time, I already had 3 different concepts for operation modes for the flashlight, including the standard mode where the flashlight would act normally. These operation modes would include, a purple light which would be used to real hidden pathways for the player to cross.
And an orange version which would act similarly to an electric maze toy, where the player would be tasked with moving the beam across a certain path, and should they fail to do so carefully, they would be punished accordingly.
I decided to come up with another operation mode whilst waiting order from the team, in the form of a green flashlight known as a restoration beam. This operation mode would revolve around the player keeping the flashlight fixed in a set position similar to the path reveal operation mode, though instead of revealing a path, it would fix certain objects (ie like a broken vase, or some sort of switch that would be used to progress the story).
Whilst this operation would be a bit more niche in the scenario’s that it would come into play with (mainly in either restore items used for some sort of key, or in finding treasure like items), I felt like it would still serve a purpose in granting the player more options with the limited tools available to them in the game.
I would have come up with another concept on the spot, though I wasn’t sure as to what to think of in terms of operation modes that were necessary for the game, so I decided to hold off on making operation modes for the moment, and instead decided to focus on creating concept art for the environment of the game.
Concept art for the environment had already been made by another member of the team, though it only existed in the form of a sketch by Cohen, which showed the following:
I decided to use this as a rough guide for the general look and size of the building, especially since the team themselves have stated on multiple occasions that they wish to make some sort of haunted hotel like environment, so I would make sure that it would be similar to what was already drafted in terms of concepts, but in also trying to come up with new spins on the design of the hotel/environment, as to give it it’s own unique flavour.
I decided to also take some visual references from the well known Disney attraction, the hollywood tower hotel, or more commonly known as “The Tower of Terror”, since both its design within Orlando Florida, and its design at California Adventures (before it ended up being replaced) look almost exactly like the kind of designs that I am looking for in terms of making concept art for the main location of the game.
These two buildings had the design’s that I was roughly looking for in terms of designing the outer appearance of the building, as it gives off the exact features and vibes that would fit out game. This is especially apparent with the Tower of Terror from Florida, as it’s general design is styled like a Moroccan building, which have a unique design in terms of their architecture and style, something which I personally believe to fit with the style that we are going for.
I began to make the design for the initial piece of concept art for the exterior of the building, using the 3 images as a reference to guide me in the creation process of the concept art.
I wanted to create a building design that would effectively merge all 3 of the elements from the reference images gathered into a singular building, that would also fit what the team was going after in terms of an exterior design. I did eventually conjure up a rough design that was close to being finished before it was shared with the team. However, they expressed concerns regarding the design to be too castle like as opposed to a hotel.
With these notes in mind, I took the concept art back into SAI, and began to refurbish and change the design to more closely resemble a hotel. I decided to also at the same time, expand my range of reference images by looking up pictures of 1930’s to 1950’s hotels as inspirations alongside the reference images of the tower of terrors that I already had, and made major revisions to the visual design of the hotel, though I did take a few design aspects from the old design as to implement them into the new one.
I began by first making the base shape of the building, aiming to make it much taller in comparison to the older design, as well as add a lot more area’s to it, such as the remains of an upper balcony like section as to give it more of an elaborate and unique design to the building.
I then took the same colours from the older design with some minor hue shifts, and applied them to the newer design, giving it a more unique appearance. I also decided to add a few clipping group layers as to make the building appear noticeably older in terms of age, by making it slightly darker in some spots. Clipping groups were used as to make the process slightly cleaner and not have the canvas be general messy.
Overall, I was much happier with the design this time round. It felt a lot more refined and from a visual standpoint, the building actually closely resembled that of a Hotel, as opposed to a castle like last time. The design would then be handed over to the team, in which they expressed approval at the improved design of the hotel concept art.
With the approval from the team in regards to the design, I decided to experiment with the colour pallet of the building, making 2 different variations with different colours that were then presented to the team accordingly.
The team had expressed immense interest in the middle colour pallet, and so I decided to make a duplicate of the building and shift the colour pallet of it to be a noticeably darker version of itself, along with a few minor adjustments (such as making the general darker layer have slightly less opacity as to have more of an affect on the overall colour pallet of the building. After a few minutes of doing some slight hue shifts, along with some colour tweaking, I was able to conjure the following result.
The major changes are in the colour’s being noticeably darker, as to fit the more horror like aspect of our game, with the outdoor balcony also being given the darken treatment, though its colours were actually borrowed from the green design, since I believed that the colour pallet for the balcony suited the darker blue colour scheme.
When I shared the design with the team, they expressed massive approval, and when I asked them if this was the design that they were wanting to model, they expressed approval, though this was only 2 out of the other 4, so I had to wait for them to have their say on the matter as well.
I decided at this point, to ask the team if I should consider making concept designs for the inner hallways and rooms of the hotel, and although a response was not immediate, I figured that with their immense approval of the building’s front design, that and the 3D modellers would need to have access to multiple angles for references sake.
These angles would compose of side views of the building, from the left, to the right, and then the back just in case they were needed.
Overall, I am rather proud with how these concepts came out, even if the side views did end up being slightly shorter than the front and back concepts creating a slight discrepancy in terms of height. I sent them over to the team, and then began work on concept art for the interior designs of the hallways and rooms.
Development – December
I decided to take direct inspiration and reference from one of my older personal works back in 2022, being this pixel animation that I made of one my character traversing down a hallway, only to be scared off by a door slamming shut.
I chose this old work of mine as it not only perfectly resembles the interior designs of the building that I’m looking for, but it also allows me to come up with potential room designs that fit this kind of aesthetic, which will fit with the concept of our game quite well.
I began with a rough drawing of the hallway similar to what I had done with that personal pixel animation I did of mine, but with a few minor changes as to experiment with the overall flow of the design a bit, most notable the flipped positions of the door and the paintings.
I decided to keep it similar with the same colour pallet and overall design, but also added in a torn up carpet to the flooring, as to give it a more aged and withered like appearance.
This finalised piece of the hallway concept would be sent off to the team for feedback whilst I began work on another concept, this time for one of the hotel rooms, where it would compose of a simple design to use as a baseline for all of the other room concepts, since the concept will have the room be portrayed in 2 different forms, a normal unhaunted state, and a haunted state that depicts an enemies presence within the room.
This is more meant to be useful as an indication that a room has a potential enemy within its walls, due to the blue tint, as well as having one of the objects begin emitting bright lights around the haunted objected in particular.
Development – January/Early March
Work throughout December and most of January had most progress be halted due to me working on my assignment in regard to emerging technologies, though with that assignment now finished and dealt with, I could now begin working more on the concept art for parts of the game. I asked the team if they wanted anything in particular whilst I began to drop down idea’s for potential pieces of concept art.
I opened notepad and began to drop down idea’s to do for concepts for the project.
I had yet to receive any form of response from the team, so I decided to go on and begin making my own concepts accordingly.
I began work on concept art for different kinds of rooms that could be used for the game, starting with a general design for a bedroom, with a few objects placed about to populate the room, and give it a more life like appearance.
Wanting to keep it to a 30’s – 50’s looks, I took images from various hotel rooms in order for me to get a rough feel in how the rooms should look, along with adding a few of my own design choices in order to give the rooms a more unique flavour, whilst retaining the style of their respective time frames.
This is how a select few rooms would be shown within the hotel itself that would appear in this pristine condition, meant to primarily attract suspicion for players to investigate
I then took the current room concept and made a duplicate of it in order to give it a more dilapidated and decayed like appearance.
This would be how each of the rooms would be presented commonly throughout the hotel, being in a dilapidated state with furniture broken and walls decaying with a moulding like texture to them. Obviously the team would be free to interoperate the concept art to their own design philosophies, so they are free to design the rooms as they see fit.
I next would begin working on some concept art for different kinds of hallways. I made a base template and duplicated it as to make designing the hallways much easier rather than having to redraw the same basic features over and over again.
These hallways would contain many changes between the different variations as to offer different types of interior designs for the hotel building. Around this time, work progress on concept art in general did slow down by a significant margin due to personal family issues, so I had to put the concept art to the side whilst I sorted out the personal issues before I would get back to work on them, and continue accordingly.
I came up with 3 different designs for the hallways within the building, along with various objects that can be littered throughout the the hallways and rooms, such as a tipped over plant pot, a supply box, shelves, and a severely broken chair.
Development March/April
With all of the current concept art finished, I decided to ask the team for anything specific they wanted concept art for.
With the lack of a proper answer from the team, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and begin writing a note pad list of potential pieces of concept art that I could work on, before getting to work on the next piece of concept art.
I decided to go with the appearance of that of an underground area, like a basement or facility, typically those where the general maintenance of all the electronics for the whole building is done.
I wanted to give this underground room a much larger concept with both a bridge area as well as a room dedicated to where the generator would be. I wanted to include some of the flashlight concepts that were made from several months back as to give the room a lot more of an interactive feel to it, like as if the player has to solve some sort of puzzle with one of the different flashlight operation modes in order to unlock another section of the bottom area.
The are would be sorta divided into 2 parts, one being of a grate like bridge where the user walks towards that of a boiler room. I took inspiration from the factory indoor area from Lethal Company, as it has the general look of what I was looking for in terms of an underground area.
I would then with the base template make 2 different variations of this area from the base template, as to accommodate for some of the different flashlight options that I had come up with earlier for the game.
These 2 different concepts would then be sent off to the team for them to have a look, and review the concepts accordingly.
Around this time, the team was starting to pack up, and send them over to Ryan for him via google drive, so I decided to conjure up one last piece of concept art to create before passing it down to the team. I decided to keep it relatively simple as so that the piece of concept art could be done in relatively short time.
Obviously with the main tool that the player would use throughout the game would be that of a flashlight, the logical step would be on how long would the batteries last, if that was something we were going with. I decided to come up with 3 different concepts for the batteries.
Conclusion
Overall, the experience of being the concept artist of the team has taught me a lot of things, from how multiple variations of an object or environment can allow for potential experimentation, to always sharing progress with the team as to gather feedback and potential suggestions that may improve the overall final product.
Whilst I understand that some of the concept art delivered may initially did not meet the expectations, I am happy that I was able to improve upon them when asked.
References
FaNbOy1988 (2013) The Hollywood Tower Hotel. Available Online: The Hollywood Tower Hotel: Revision history | Disney Wiki | Fandom [Accessed 19/11/2023]
Image References
N/A (2014) An image of an 800 FLX Flashlight [Photograph] Available Online: flashlight – Bing images [Accessed 16/10/2023] [Fig.01]
NetHong Store (2019) An image of a light handheld lamp flashlight [Photograph] Available Online: Torch Large Torch Flashlight LED Searchlight 2 Modes 1500LM Light Handheld Lamp White Light Rechargeable Led Searchlight Lantern Outdoor Emergency Flashlight Camping Work Light : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools [Accessed 17/10/2023] [Fig.02]
Cohen (2023) A sketch of concept art for the environment of our game in the major project assignment course [Photograph] Available Online: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14sFqBzXBO42ESRafabxmgK2spgY0_l2LbMqF5iEs6Gc/edit?usp=sharing [Accessed 14/11/2023] [Fig.03]
Shawn Slater (2011) A picture of the former tower of terror within Disney California Adventure [Photograph] Available Online: Immerse Yourself at the Hollywood Tower Hotel | DisneyShawn [Accessed 14/11/2023] [Fig.04]
Key Bennett (2017) A picture of the tower of terror in Disney’s hollywood studios [Photograph] Available Online: hollywood tower hotel on a stormy day | Hollywood tower hotel, Tower of terror, Tower (pinterest.co.uk) [Accessed 16/11/2023] [Fig.05]
ConservedBloopers (2024) A picture of an indoor corridor catwalk from Lethal Company [Photograph] Available Online: latest (1813×1033) (nocookie.net) [Accessed 14/04/2024] [Fig.06]
