Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Wow

Two things to mention in this post, and both are truly original and inspiring (at least to me!). Both are straight out of Japan.

First, I heard about a new puzzle game coming out for the PS3 that's supposed to be very different. It's called Echo Chrome. Here's a link to it's preview video on YouTube. The first time I saw that, I said just "wow" out loud - somewhere there's a developer with a very twisted mind! The great part is that the original idea, or at least one who took the idea to the extreme, was from M.C. Escher. Making an animated, changeable, puzzle game out of it is quite outside the box.

Anyway, after a little more searching, I found the website of the original developer of the idea, and it turns out you can play around with the original system online! Scroll to the bottom of that page, and there's a link to download it for the PC, or even play it online in a Java applet. It's mind-bending to say the least.

The other thing that has me excited is a video called Missing Pages. I recommend it to everyone! You can download it for free or watch it on YouTube. There's an interview with the guy who wrote and directed it at CGChannel. The way in which the "movie" was put together is creative and somewhat different, like those 3d pictures you see on History channel documentaries sometimes. It's all photos, 3D compositing, and some animation - almost like an animated comic book.

The film really makes me want to load up Shake again and play around with it - I'll need to make some time for that before the summer is out! Sure, he used After Effects, but they can both do the same effects.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Bring on the inspiration!

I've seen and heard quite a bit lately that has caused my imagination to soar!

First, there was a documentary we checked out from the local library (quick side note: the library is loaded with more documentaries than you can shake a stick at... for FREE!). The one I picked was a NOVA documentary about "The Mysterious Life of Caves." There were a couple things that really stuck out for me, and one was that acid drips from the walls and ceilings. Acid drips from the walls and ceilings. Just think about that.

These three scientists figured out that there is a bacteria growing in some caves that literally melt the rock wall away to create the cave itself. They don't use sunlight at all (it's totally black dark in the caves) - they only feed on gas in the cave and the rock itself, manganese in particular.

Another set of scientists in another cave had discovered bacteria growing in water and acid, without the use of sunlight at all, and that they were related to the bacteria growing near deep-sea vents in the ocean. They say these organisms are probably related to the original life on the planet, i.e. where not just us humans, but all life on Earth came from. Awesome.

Moving on, I read an article on Gamers with Jobs about directing and camera work in games. It reminded me of a great game I played years back called Anachronox, which I remember even back then thinking about how great the camera moves were. They had really put a lot of thought into it, and it made the game that much better. It was really one of the best games I've ever played (I'd put it in my top 5 of all time), and just thinking about it makes me want to play it again. I've posted on the Gamers with Jobs game trading thread, so hopefully someone has it and wants to trade... I've unfortunately lost the game due to throwing it away or placing it somewhere in my parent's basement.

Speaking about directing and camera work in games, it's something I've already thought quite a bit about for my own game. Here are some lines from my notes:
  • Extreme slow motion, with a lot going on during it (stuff flying around... hey, maybe snow falling!).
  • Alternate seamlessly between extreme slow motion and normal or fast.
  • Long uncut shots - very cool and adds to tension and believability.
  • Add to it by bringing the camera through tiny cracks in walls or door locks, etc.
  • Many "impossible" shots - flying over and around stuff, through stuff, go from real high in the sky to real low.... maybe even underground or underwater.
I've learned much from the great directors of movies like Night Watch, Children of Men, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Fight Club, and 300. Expect to see some of the direction you've seen in those movies in Omnivore.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I've been reading a book called "In Praise of Slowness" by Carl Honore. I saw it at the library and couldn't help but check it out. It turns out that there is a huge movement worldwide to practice the power of Slow. Those that know me well know that I'm not exactly the fastest person in the world, and it looks like I've been right all this time (haha)!

Check out this wikipedia entry about the Slow Movement. It's not just about moving slower, it's a philosophy on life, and I love it. Reading this book has really brought my attention to how fast the world, and especially our society, is trying to make everyone get things done. It's causing more stress, health problems, and costing more money than people realize. I'm only a few chapters into the book right now, but I'll post more as I read more.

This is a long post and I'm done!

Sunday, July 8, 2007

The Animals

So, it's been a while - here's a bit more about Omnivore:

The game will feature animals in a big way. I'm not going to say why yet, but I'll say that you as the player will be playing the game as a host of different animals. Big ones, small ones, flying ones, aquatic ones, you name it.

A spider will be one of the main animals you control - it will take up one of the largest parts of the game. This opens up many possibilities including walking on the walls, crawling on the ceiling, using webbing, sneaking onto people and biting them, going into tiny spaces, make huge jumps, etc. Some people in the lab will run away from you, and some will try to stomp you. You will be able to sneak into secret rooms, listen to conversations you otherwise wouldn't hear, and learn more about the story in an different and interesting way. You will probably be a black widow.

Other animals I have definitively decided upon having in the game are a tiger, a grizzly bear, an owl, and a hawk. I'm thinking about having a dolphin and/or a squid as well for some aquatic scenes. Anyone have any other favorite animals they'd like to see?

The animals won't just be there for you to control. There will be opportunities to learn about each animal, from how they move to what they eat to how they interact with people and other animals. I want them all to act as accurately as possible to how they do in the real world. Not only will the game be fun to play, and have a great story, but the chance to learn new things about the animals in this world will be great.

Just being able to see the world through the eyes, ears, and body of an animal will be a huge learning experience. Some animals can see extremely well (even in dark environments), some can hear extremely well, and some can make jumps and do movements that humans can only dream about. Exciting!