Today we presented our final game ideas. In hindsight we could have elaborated on a few points such as the camera angles/sizing of the game as practical details and I could have explained the narrative more thoroughly but I was still confident in the way we conveyed the inked ladies. Below is the feedback from the session (using nodenogg.in).

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I found the feedback to be really helpful and here were the key points raised:

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• The narrative will need a lot of testing

• The style seems too cute for the slightly disturbing atmosphere the gameplay should create

• Specify the dolls house sizing and how the camera angles will work (along with the ability to tilt the camera angle)

• Make the interactive narrative options more clear as to what they effect

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After we received this feedback I went back to basics for designing the visual novel style for the characters as this was what gave the audience the 'cutesy' impression during the presentation. I looked at some other artists that I follow for inspiration. I was looking for an art style that wasn't complicated (so as not to detract from the environment and narrative) or too time-consuming (as we would need quite a few expressions and poses for each character depending on the interactive narrative options chosen) but would still convey a creepy atmosphere. The artist I focussed on was Adam Ellis a comic strip artist who is also developing an art compendium for a game he is making;

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(Adam Ellis (Instagram, 2021), (Fever Knights (Instagram) 2021)

 

After making this mood board I felt like my work was a lot more re-focussed on the visual storytelling that I wanted to achieve so then I developed my own mood board of the content I would be working with:

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(All images from Pinterest)

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This really helped me to combine the style and subject of what I wanted to achieve so after checking this over with my project teammate, I started to put the style into practise with one of our character concepts - 

 

 

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These two images show a before and after of our fortune teller design. I kept the same colour scheme but made it a lot more creepy by adding various unexplained elements. For example you cannot see the characters face, her ribs should be exposed but they aren't there and the skulls used for decoration are designed to make the player feel uneasy in her presence. This was mostly to test the style of the character but I posted the image on my Instagram story using my art account (@art.by.olivia.kate) and on a discord server for game designers. I asked openly if anyone had any feedback, ranging from whether you trust this character to what kind of films they may watch. Here is some of the feedback:

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• "100% a witch who lives in the whimsical woods casting spells on everyone who enters"

• "They absolutely go to the theatre... Either the Addams Family or Mamma Mia. Nothing in between" 

• "This person is scary"

• I'm getting a "wise old mystic" vibe, not a villain but certainly can be cheeky. It has words of wisdom"

• "Now what is THAT? ...the skirt is similar to a big top, there's impaled teddies and skulls... is this a freakshow act at a circus that kills children? Another thing I noticed is a death card, the eye suggests a third eye which might come into fortune telling and there's plenty of symbols and numerals suggesting they might have something to do with tarot cards?"

• "I'm getting some type of gothic circus monster vibe from it, perhaps a child that went through some kind of tragedy (teddy bear, bows, etc)? ... maybe a child had a traumatic experience at a circus, and now works as a fortune teller and kills more people as an adult".

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This feedback was amazing to receive as what started as a style test ended as a strong design for the visual novel aspect of our game. The last two comments are the most accurate and detailed however they came from game designers who work in narrative. I need to ensure that the design reads that way for people who don't work in game design to have the most impact. There will be many iterations of the character in semester 2 but I am very happy with the turn of direction since the presentation. 

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I have changed the other characters too, so the main character will be gaunt, reflecting her childhood tragedy and channelling Tim Burton characters such as Coraline and The Corpse Bride. The ring leader will be masked and tall, in an almost intimidating fashion. The snake charmer will be surrounded by ghost snakes in a similar way to the snakes on the head of medusa whilst the quick-change artist will now be a two-headed woman with (as suggested by James) multiple personalities which will feed into the storyline. The final character is the fortune teller who will remain mysterious and unforgiving but in a much more disturbing way, with childhood toys for accessories and a masked face to never show emotion.

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In the coming weeks I will also be developing the full narrative into a twine prototype. It isn't key to the game proposal document however it needs to be tested as soon as we start making the project in line with the first coding sessions. We have also slightly adjusted the narrative, so the inked ladies will act in the game as if they do not know the main character's mother, however the player must sneak around trying to find parts of a photograph which was left behind the night her mother was taken. This photograph is one of all of the inked ladies together and proves that they knew her mother. All pieces must be collected before the player can confront the ladies at the end of the show. 

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Another comment from the feedback was that the tattoos should perhaps have more purpose than just visually. We have decided that when the player must complete an objective e.g. collect a specific item, that item will have the relevant ladies' tattoo marking on it so as to tie the environmental elements into the gameplay. It also means that any item not included directly in the narrative can still be associated with a character. 

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Things to add to the GPD:

 

• Define the audience demographic

• What social media and marketing materials will we use

• Lighting elements - have a full environment greyboxed and demo illustrations of lighting key places

• Asset List

• Sculpting tests to show the process and materials

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References

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Ellis. A, Instagram, 2021. @adamtots. (Online) Available at: https://www.instagram.com/adamtots/ (Accessed 14th January 2021).

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Fever Knights Compendium, 2021. @feverknights. (Online) Available at@ https://www.instagram.com/feverknights/ (Accessed 14th January 2021). 

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Kate, O., 2021. @art_by_olivia_kate. (Online) Available at: https://www.instagram.com/art.by.olivia.kate/ (Accessed 14th January 2021).

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