6. production reflection FMP

1. Production Reflection
Jay Birkin

2. Process-Day 1
Today I made much progress, the first task I started
with was making my background for the game. The
background was made in a Photoshop document
which was the size 480x320, this size was great
because it was large enough to include just the right
amount of detail and if I made it any smaller then it
wouldn’t have been up to good standers. I spent
most of the day doing this background which is still
yet to be finished. I drew in pixels with a pencil and
first started with the bridge, I like this bridge and
think that it looks great and realistic and I cant really
see changing it in any way. From this bridge I then
had to choose my colour pallet for the background
for the game, I used my colours from planning which
suit the genre very well. The house down on the
bottom of the background was made in isometric,
which I wasn’t really planning on using from my
planning but I changed my mind and I think it turned
out well, with the house I used a already existing
picture and then drew mine as similar as I could but
without making it the exact same. I really like this
first background and think that I started off the
production process well.
Because I was creating so many different components to the background I had to use many layers all of which I renamed so when I come to
animating I can do it with ease. The game obviously needs a logo which Is made up of the title and question mark, this is because it makes it
mysterious and unknown which is what I am aiming for in this game, I didn’t have a title for the game yet and what I created I don’t really like
at all and I am going to have to work on it at a later date. The final task I worked on today was a speech box and character face and this is a
part of the game which is important for the context. I didn’t use many tools at all and I have done many projects such as this one previously so
it was nothing new too me. I think I made good progress for this first day and I think that this project is going to turn out well and is what I am
looking for/expecting.

3. Process-Day 2
For this day I made myself a different
background of the game and this was a
cave area which I have yet too finish
because making a background is a really
big part of the project and I may spend
much more time on it than I thought. I
just used the same methods that I
always use when I draw things on
Photoshop and that is the pencil tool
because I draw in pixels. I took the idea
of a HUD from my planning because I
will be using this HuD in game and I like
it because it suits my game most I will
be using all the text and items along at
the bottom as well except for the
lantern. I had to shift the background up
to place the bottom black box on so it
didn't cover half of my work and I don’t
know if it’s the right size but this was
good and it turned out the way I wanted
it too. I didn’t do much extra work on
the first background all I did was place
an extra piece of land to the left and
added a few extra tiny details. I then
also took the legs from my experiment
animation because it is a really great
looking walk cycle and all I have to do is
design a character which will then just
go with these legs.
This day went okay but I didn’t have as much time as yesterday and think I could have got a little
more done, what I did do however was important and laid out the rest of my production for the
week or 2 to come. The background that I did I like and think it looks like a game background and
suits the style of adventure also using blackness around the edge allowed me to link it with the
unknown.

4. Process-Day 3
I made my final background today and I made it an
inside background, when making it I decided to view it
top down and this was so I could allow some variation in
my game. I yet again didn’t finish this background but I
made a lot of progress with it so far placing it all
together. The rooms look like they come from a video
game and then I added bits of furniture on, these
furniture items were great for detail. All of the
backgrounds are the same size and this was consistent
and so the game doesn’t mess up In any way. I enjoyed
doing this last background and think that it looks like it
should be placed in a game.
I made a character which I don’t like too much but I
might keep him due to the amount of time I have and
the complicatedness of it. In my research I decided that I
would include character customisation so I am going to
have to include an animation showing this.
I worked on the cave background a little more as well
and placed a colour on the actual background. I also
made little details like adding rock variations in the wall
and even adding a crate all of which I think match well
and work. My backgrounds were outside tropical in
planning so I didn’t have colour pallets for these
backgrounds so I had to make them in the creation.
These backgrounds were drew all from scratch and
made by me. The character looked plain so I placed a
cloak on him and a hat to vary him up but they just
didn’t look right so I will have to remove them and stick
to simplicity. No new tools were used yet again in this
day but I need to do something more complicated to
show off my skills later.
This day was very
productive and I made
great progress on my
work.

5. Process-Day 4
I wrote some text on a word document for the
dialogue that was going to be a script to include in
my game. The script had uncomplicated dialogue
that went into enough detail for the game to be
understood by the audience. I think that the dialogue
in a game is important which Is why I decided to do it
today so I had the idea of where I was going with the
animation and an idea for a new character that I
should create which was a dwarf who has a quest. I
practically finished the main background and the
cave today, I just placed a few extra pieces around
which I think will realty bring the game together.
Most of the background wont be accessible in the
animation so it is just placed their for visual aspects.
I built some tools for the hot bar these were similarly
based from previous games and they will be placed
in the HuD bar at the bottom which was like in my
planning, I will also be adding a few more such as a
key and shovel which I decided will really finish it off.
I also added a colour pallet background into the
background with a sea and sky which finished it off
and made it look amazing. Finally I made a dwarf
face because I want a dwarf character in the mines
for quests. The dwarf was not good at all and I think
that it was a waste of my time however I learnt from
this. I want to change the dwarf and make it look
realistic so I will search up on the internet probably.
Also i will make a detailed face using my previous
one but placing dwarf features around it instead.
For the end of this week I have made some superb looking products and think that
they look partially professional for a video game. I have made good progress for
production but my schedule hasn’t been followed very well but I have got most of what
I wanted and think that I may finish a few days early at the end due to the progress.

6. End of week 1- Everything I have done
production

7. Process- Day 5I started by making a text speech box for the talk
animation. I chose the font, size and spacing,
these are important because they can make the
text more interesting. Already I had written my
script on an early day of production so this was
just a case of copying the words across in the
style I wanted. When finished animating I think
this will fit in well with the game as it shall look
like its own cut scene, which I will have to do in
premier pro. I made a dwarf as a side character
which I am going to be placing In the mines. For
the dwarf I drew him in pixels and decided I
would stick simplistic with him. He is the only
NPC character that I have designed and he
doesn’t move or have any interaction but I feel
that this is unnecessary and the game just doesn’t
need it. I created my first sound effect. This was a
small effect which will indicate a pick up noise but
it was more or less just testing to get grips on
how I am going to carry out the task of sounds
because loads of different things can come into
play such as the distortion or amps, I really
enjoyed using this method though and think that I
can make some great sound effects that will suit
my game well. I started to do some animation
and I exported a speech text animation. This was
only small but it was the start of something much
larger that will probably take me the rest of the
project too complete and will hopefully be one of
the best and greatest looking projects I have
designed so far.
So far I have
created
different
backgrounds
and these are all
useful because
they have
different
perspectives so
it varies my
game, making it
more interesting
for the audience
to see.
This day was very
useful for me as I
got to test and
experiment with
some new tasks
just to get my
bearings for how
the rest of the
project is going
to go.

8. Process- Day 6
This day is the day before I plan on starting animating and this I can start
to do because I have achieved almost completion of everything I had
decided. Today I had decided upon my title which I quiet like and enjoy
and think it suits the game, I Changed the title to Island of Misery
because the game is set on an island and I wanted that feel of mystery
and uncertainty that it comes with. After that I finished my character
walk cycle and made each body placement on the legs and I think it is
simple because I just used my template and made this come together in
almost absolutely no time at all so I think I should have spent more time
on this which is something I will take notes on for my next project but to
be honest I don’t really have any more time spare to make it any better.
I thought I should make the dwarf character talk animation next so I
made his face in greater detail and I did this by copying the previous face
of the other character and then I looked at the dwarf on the cave
background and chose the colour pallet using the colour selection tool, a
handy one that allows you to never forget a colour that has been used,
then drew around the face adding on all his facial details. I have enjoyed
this day and think that everything I have created has been useful and is
great. Next I Finished the talk animation for dwarf character and I
decided to start exporting my work and to do this I had to first go into
image-> image size and then change the document to 1080, after this I
then exported and this will give me the best quality and sized frame
video however I did not save because if I did that then I can not make
any changes if I want to later on which I will most likely be doing on
some part of my project. To finish off I Worked on my house interior
background completely finishing it off in my opinion although it is a
house and it looks a little blank which isn't realistic I think that this
shows off my skill rather well and is in fact a great addition to the game.
I just free hand styled all of this design and got it looking the best I could
with the amount of time that I have.

9. Process- Day 7
I needed to scale down my character otherwise my animation wouldn’t
have worked and It would have looked fairly terrible, so I researched it
up and set it up so I could change all things from the documents without
blurring them which was previously happening, all I had to do was set it
too nearest neighbor and that fixed my problem which is one that I had
been having for a while, this will definitely come in handy for the future.
Although I wanted to focus on animation today I detailed my first
background a little more because I felt it was too simple and I didn’t
show off enough of what I could do in it. I am pleased with the new
changes to the background and think that it looks better.
I then went onto making a menu page. This menu page I do not like at
all and should spend more time on it, it is way too simple and
unprofessional looking I like the font and background colour but it needs
something extra. The Font that I chose was from planning and it is called
rayman adventure. This suits my game rather well because it relates to
the genre and it is not to plain and original so it is interesting. The Grass
along the bottom is from a paint brush selection in Photoshop. This was
really useful to me and looks very realistic, I think that the grass is
spectacular and I should use it in future if I ever need use of it for this
purpose.
I thought about including some
kind of plank around or over
the title to make it seem more
related to the adventure genre
but instead it turned out with
something that I don’t really
like.
To download the font I just
used dafont and then
opened up the file, it was
simple and efficient. With
the details that I added they
add extra depth and
meaning to the game which
will hopefully be understood
by the audience.

10. Process- Day 8
I decided to rework my logo for the game because the other one was
temporary because I couldn't think of a title for the game and so I couldn't
decide upon a look. What I decided for here was to make it look
adventurous sign to match the genre so I used the shape tool and selected
a banner which went behind the arced title. The banner was a little plain so
on either side I decided to select and make them a darker shade of brown
for texture. Hopefully this sign will allow the game to seem interesting and
doesn’t need any more changes because I don’t really know what else to
do with it.
I got the animation on the cave background finished and exported it, this
was a huge and important step in my project and I believe that it is of
greater quality and does not need to be changed in any way. This is exactly
how I wanted my game to look and think that it has been portrayed across
greatly. The other background I got half way with, this was good progress
this day and I got a lot done nearly finishing my animating which is a large
part of my project.
I placed the text and tools down on the bottom of all backgrounds because
this was the last thing that needed to be done to finish them off. The HuD
adds those extra bits of detail which just make the game seem more
enjoyable and understanding.
I also decided to add some more options on the starting page to get rid off
the plainness that it had on it but that this didn’t play out so instead I just
removed them and will try some different options later and also decided to
change the wood colour which actually allows the title to stand out and
pop which is helpful and a large technique because it is used to attract
audiences.
This day was very productive and I got much work done, my project is going
great and I think I will get a rather good grade for it so I wouldn’t change
anything about it as of yet, just continue working as I am.

11. End of week 2- Everything I have done
production

12. Process- Day 9
I started the day off by doing some more animation and finishing them off more or less. I touched up the animation on the cave background
and made it run more smoothly and timed it correctly because this is important to make my game appeal more and generally look better.
Then I completely finished the interior background animation and made the character walk in the house and find a key, this was top down
and was of a good length to show my game parts off. The final was the first which I showed the character more around free open world all of
these show of the games assets and because it has a different few it allows the game to be more desirable to the audience.
With the first background I had to use perspective and make the character smaller to larger to allow it too seem further away but in the end
this just didn’t work right so I had to change my plans and just animate it from the middle because I couldn’t get it too work and it would
have taken up time which I couldn’t spare. The character walk animation is great and is detailed and works because it lo0oks realistic.
I started working in premier pro, I important my animations and then added a fade on each video to allow a transition between them. This is
the final task and I am going to be spending a lot of time on this part to get the video perfect. I have used premier pro before so it was not
new too me and I knew mostly what to do. One new thing I decided to try was fades which I looked up in effects and decided it was perfect
for my animation and videos. I also made some sounds this day using leshylabs. These sounds will be placed over the video and are short but
just allow the game to seem more real and interesting in others eyes. This day I did less tasks but I finished a few and am rounded my project
off rather nicely.

13. Process- Day 10 I made a soundtrack in beepbox, this
was around 15-20 seconds and would be
overlaid on my starting screen and
animation. I think this suits this section
most because it is very calm and relaxing
and gives the audience something else
to focus on and be interested in. I am
not that focused on the music aspect of
my game because I am not that talented
at it however I think that this which I
have created works rather well. I started
by trying in garage band but it didn't
work out because it is a very hard music
app to work with so I changed and used
something much easier that still works
just as well.
Secondly I made an animation which
would start the game and show the logo
but I made it really quick and think I can
make it better with more time spent on
it. The logo went from top to bottom in
the animation, this was made possible
by the tween tool which is useful
because I didn’t have to spend loads of
time being tedious capturing every
frame. Another part of my animation
went wrong with the character walking
across the bridge because the layers
were all wrong so it didn't look realistic
so I had to change it and animate from
after that moment which Is not what I
originally planned but I had to do it.
To finish off the day I worked in premier pro
more, making my video run more smoothly
and adding to it. I am slowly improving it for
the better in my opinion and I think that it is
going to turn out spectacularly. This day was
just another simple day in production and I
got a good amount done I just have to watch
my time for how I am going to spend it doing
all of this writing as this is also an important
aspect of any project.

14. Process- Day 11I only had 3 days this week because i missed the Thursday which complicated my schedule but I worked
around it and although I had less time I still got a sufficient amount done for the week. However I didn’t really
achieve much this day and think it was my least useful during the whole production process so far.
The tasks that I carried out and achieved were that of a
Character select screen, this seemed important and was a
major part of my research which was what I was going to
base most of my game off of. The task was carried out by
changing the colours of different parts of the character and
then adding some random accessories on him which vary him
up to make him look different. The last animation to work on
was a loading screen which in my opinion should really finish
off a project which I believe mine has done and it will work if I
lace it on certain areas of my video. With these done the only
thing I did for the rest of this day was work on my video in
premier pro which is self explanatory, I think it is coming
together rather nicely. With the character I will have to finish
off his face for completion. Because of the amount of work I
did on this day I decided it was a good idea to reflect upon all
of my work so far and I can honestly say that I believe I am
doing great work.
After today I only have 3 more weeks to finish off the
entire project which i am confident in myself that I can
do and will not really have a problem with it.

15. End of week 3- Everything I have done
production

16. Process- Day 12
This week was broken up and I only had half the
usual time that I have. Due to the holiday break
I had to get my bearings and remember where I
was up too on the project because I haven't
worked on it in a week.
Too start off I worked on my sound effects in
beepbox and leshylabs. These I have used
before and explained so I was more just
repeating myself but it was still necessary for
the completion of my project. The sound effects
were imported to premier pro where my video
is being placed together rather effectively. This
led to the work on my final animation which is
practically finished, I will just need to get some
feedback on it and maybe make a few
adjustments to better improve my grade for the
project. I think that nearing towards the end of
this project it is turning out rather well and I
wouldn’t really change much as to what I have
been doing. To finished of the day I decided to
evaluate my product by comparing my work to
some others existing which I will do in more
detail for evaluation but it allowed me to see
where my game stands and how my project is
looking as a whole professional compared to
great standing existing work. The games i
looked at where of the same genre and were
both excellent games.

17. Process- Day 13
After this week I only have 1 week left for the production
part of my project which I am rather confident I will finish
in time. With today I thought that I had done enough
work on my game and I could finish it at the end of the
week so I decided to place my efforts elsewhere today.
Today I did some more work on my video in premier pro
with the effects and such nearly finishing it off, but as well
as this I decided to start a poster just to vary my project
and expand my products much more. The poster as a
whole idea did not go very well though and at the end of
the day I decided to scrap this certain mock that I had
made. For starters I thought that I would make it A4
portrait which was a great choice and I wouldn’t have
chosen differently because this is standard size. I also
even added in the logo I had created because it is an
important part of the game and relates to it plus it saved
me trying to make up new fonts and ways to implement
the title on to the page. The place where I think this
poster went wrong was the background I was trying to
create. I started by getting an image of a tropical island of
the internet, then I went into the filter gallery in the
selection bar and decided to choose the art style which
merges more of the colours together making it look more
unrealistic. This looked good and is a good technique but I
don’t think it was right for this poster. After this I also
added a drop shadow on the image which gave it that 3D
after image effect which is a method I should use more
often in my work.
Although this day did
not go well or to
planned I believe that it
was very helpful
towards me and I think
that I will know when to
use this properly down
the line maybe when I
am working on a
different project. It
looked good as a poster
unfortunately it was not
what I was looking for or
what my audience
would like either. Plus I
would say that print
work is not really my
strong suit which is why
I need to learn and
practice more.

18. Process- Day 14
I Started the day off by doing premier pro and placed in my
last animation which I decided to work on today. It’s a little
plain but I think that it portrays my game in a different way. I
also made some more music in beepbox and this just
Practically finished my video game idea to an extent.
Secondly I then made a keychain this was nothing special and
really didn’t require much of my time because all I did was
take my logo and stick a chain on the end of it which I cut out
from an image using the magic wand tool. The key chain was
good because it showed something else to my game by
including other products in the way it could be shown off or
advertised.
To finish off I laid down dimensions for a game case which I
want to make, I will be doing this in Photoshop and I set the
dimensions of the page to that of an Xbox case by searching it
up. After that I then used ruler guidelines to get the correct
measurements. Today I got a lot of work done but that was
expected because Tuesdays are the days when I have the
most time to work on my project.
The way I have made the character selection screen I don’t really like it, I
think that it’s too plain and should include something more with more detail
such as the rest of my game.
Today I did lots of useful work that has
contributed and my project is on its
way too be finished, especially since I
am nearing the deadline.

19. Process- Day 15
I only have 1 day left of production to finish my project now and I
started this day of by doing a few tweaks to my animation and
sounds, I did this because I got some feedback on production by my
teacher. This feedback was useful and I used it well for improving.
To start I changed the notes and sounds to vary the music up so it
didn’t get at all repetitive for the audience because nobody likes
this in a game. Then once this was done I added in much better
timing by slowing down and speeding up some sounds to match
them with their video counterparts, this just makes it much easier
to watch. I also added some fades in by using the effects menu,
these fades just improved my sounds and didn’t cut them off
abruptly. The fades are no different weather audio or visual but
they are very useful as a tool to use and I will definitely use them
again. Another thing that had to be changed was the sound level of
some of the effects because they were too loud and drowning
everything else out so I adjusted the audio gain and turned it down
to a lower setting.
For the end of today like yesterday when I chose to make a key
chain today I chose to do a phone case, to do this I just again used
the logo of the game and placed it over a template of a phone case.
Because my video is finished now I have one more day to focus my
efforts on something else which I am planning to finish my game
case as well as make a poster however I feel that these may be a
little rushed and not turn out as well as they should. After reflecting
upon everything I have made so far I can honestly say I am pleased
with this projects turn out and I tend to still put more and more
effort in to make it the best possible.
On my video I have
only included one
sound clip with each
video because it
makes it simple and
easy to understand
which doesn’t cause
confusion. Plus
sound is not my
forte so I wanted to
include as little as
possible but still
have enough to
make my game
seem whole and
complete.

20. Process- Day 17
The last day was definitely the most important in
my project and I started it off by doing my game
case. The back of this was fairly easy to make
mainly because everything that is on it is required
and then with the front I chose a background
image which showed adventure but was simple
and gave nothing away about the game which is
good for advertising. I like the game case and think
that with more time I could have made other great
products such as this. Next after the game case I
decided to make a poster but because of the such
short time I just decided to stick with simple and
relatable plus easy accessible, I chose the front
case and made it a poster I just added a grave on
the image for mystery and a date. With more time
I could have made my own image and it would
have looked great because I would have put a lot
of effort in. Once these were done I then decided
to finish off the project by making some t-shirt
designs so I placed some ideas on templates, these
again were already made but they just work so
well and look rather good placed upon these
templates. The text on the shirt had to be
corrected because it was too far spaced and formal
so I placed the lettering closer together and then
cantered it with the image, this in my opinion just
made it look much better. These last couple of
products really rounded off my project and
finished it of course I think things could be
improved if I had more time but I am happy with
what I have created.

21. Production Finished