Games -
I didn't want to look into too much detail around other wild west games as I think don't want to be re-making something already in the market. i do want to be aware of what is already there though, so I wanted to take notes from what is one of the most successful wild west games in the market - the Red Dead Redemption series. Released in October 2018 (10 years after the first in the series) and published by Rockstar games, Red Dead Redemption 2 sold more units in the first 8 days of release than the first Red Dead Redemption did in 8 years (PCGamesN, 2019). I wanted to look at their trailers and gameplay to understand a little bit more about how to portray the wild west within a video game, as well as what mechanics and visuals are shown off the most to attarct a suitable audience.
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Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer
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After I watched the Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer I had some thoughts on similar ideas we could use. For example, I really liked the cinematic opening with the golden lighting. As the trailer progresses we see darker lighting moods over mountains, nighttime starry skies and the golden light seeping through the trees which casts an adventurous feel over the land. It highlights the terrain in such a way that makes it look as if there's a lot to explore. There's also a range of environments shown, including forests, mountains, rivers, lakes and ranches which shows the vastness of the game. Having this variety also means the player will have a lot of different circumstances to learn to deal with. I think these two things will be integral to our game. The initial GDD of the 'Wild Wild Animals' game discusses the idea of different mission locations. I think if we decide to make maps for example as intended from the original idea, we could really explore the lighting and terrain to make it an area that the player wants to be in - not just a place to earn gold and loot valuables. The sense of adventure for me is dampenend a little by the sombre music all the way through. Personally I find a trailer much more compelling if the music matched to it has a sense of adventure itself (as that was what the game was going for). Near the end of the trailer we hear the voice over telling us that "When the time comes you gotta run and don't look back" so we know that this game has some darker elements to it (that and the encasing fire visuals kind of gives it away). Overall I think its key that we also look into showcasing the scenery moreso, as this is whats going to make our game slightly different. As a society we have a very strong preconception of the wild west and to mess around with that wouldn't particularly work in my opinion, so using what we have a making it into something that can capture a modern day mind will be key.
Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay video
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Next I looked at some actual gameplay footage on Red Dead Redemption 2 with the aim of seeing what is actually showcased in a game format. This particular video demonstrates the use of the inventory system, the free-roam open world aspect, the freedom to push people of horses to your will as well as game mechanics like witnesses and the awareness of the NPC's. I think there's an awful lot of content in this game and not something we can replicate in a 14-week vertical slice project but we can take inspiration from their appraoch. For example the dialogue from the NPC's is quite chilling with how accurate it seems so we could perhaps input elements like that into our game. I also really like the use of the inventory. Its a good example of having a lot of information but very little UI on screen which is what I intend to be looking at this project.
Warhammer - The other game I looked at specifically for this project was warhammer. This came later in the project as a team member had mentioned on a number of occasions how we were essentially making this style of game. Its been an approach that I don't really agree with but after they posted a video explaining what they saw our vertical slice as I wanted to take a look and try to understand their approach.
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So I watched a few clips of this video but honestly I found it a little difficult as its not something I'm particularly into. I can understand that the terrain and some of the mechanics we have discussed may be similar, such as using cover and having statistics based weaponry (ours is determined by % of hitting, theirs is similar in that its the probably of a dice roll above a certain number). I can draw similarities this way but to me there is a fundamental disconnect in the way the games are played. To me, warhammer is played on a board, with physical characters and most importantly with other people. This gives the game a very different social dynamic as our vertical slice will be a single-player experience. A lot of warhammer is your interactions with other people, that's what makes the game so playable, in a similar way to dungeons and dragons. I feel like our vertical slice needs to appeal to a single-player view more than anything and a huge part of that is visuals and the flow of the vertical slice itself.
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Scott-Jones, R., Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold-in over 26 million copies ,(2019) Available at: https://www.pcgamesn.com/red-dead-redemption-2/red-dead-redemption-2-sales (Accessed 25th May, 2020).
FILMS
I tried to make a point this project of looking at different types of media to inform my work. I wanted to look at the classic wild west films that seem to have such prominent place in todays market despite the typical nature of each storyline. Of all of the westerns I have seen I don't think I could name any specific one for a particularly good storyline or very vivid characters, yet actors like Clint Eastwood and directors like Quentin Tarantino are household names. I wanted to see what I could gather about the film side of the market so I looked at the opening sequences to 4 of the most well-knows westerns of my generation.
Hateful 8 opening scene
The opening scene to 'The Hateful 8' is quite interesting because it doesn't have the action-packed start that most westerns employ. We have a snow covered environment with a variety of shots displaying the untouched scenery. We see birds fly away, implying that something may be on the horizon. The blue and white colour palette help encourage an eery atmosphere, as the scene seems almost desaturated in colour. As the slow zoom away fromt he christ staue starts to take place, the music builds in tension and we see the stagecoach start to come into view. The height of the music is matched to the pacing of the stagecoach as the horses charge past closely to the camera. I can admire that this is a well thought out scene and I would love to implement some of the shot types in our own game. I love the variety of shots in displaying the environment, as ultimately its a plain looking place with nothing going on but it seems interesting in the angles and range of cinematic shots used. I think overall it doesn't grab my attention as other scenes have before but I do think its an interesting option we can draw on if our vertical slice so desires.
Django unchained opening scene
The Django Unchained trailer takes a slightly different approach. We still see a variety of different environments and a host of cinematic shots but this follows the journey of a group of slaves. It tells the viewer right from the start who we are focussing on and gives us the sense that a revenge story may yet to be come. I think this intro scene is particularly powerful, as right from the start we have an empty desert (stereotypically western) and we are introduced to these slaves. We can see the whipped markings on their backs and how they have been stripped of clothes, sweating in the desert heat. This to me already signifies an injustice, a two-sided war resulting in an imbalance of power. The ending of rattling chains around their ankles brings home that sense of dread of what is to become of them and the overhwlming power that their opposition has. I think this offers a good premise for the film as well. Perhaps too powerful and graphic for a vertical slice of our nature but ceratinly interesting to see the contrast between film approaches to show what the piece may entail.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly opening scene
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What I would call a classic start to a western movie. The intro to 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly' throws the viewer straight into the action, with guns, horses, an abandoned desert and the announcing of the hero to save our first character (only to connect his bounty but saving nonetheless). We see the confidence and skills of the gunman, instantly telling us he is the one to focus on in the film. This clip establishes the scene and characters well, in a similar way that we should be doing for our vertical slice. Its important that the viewer (or player in our case) knows exactly what is going on and how to go about the relationships in the game.
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A Fistful of Dollars
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The opening scene to 'A Fistful of Dollars' is one of the most effective for me. It clearly introduces our protagonist and still has some action going on however because our main character isn't directly involved, it gives us more of an implication to his characteristics and behaviours. We see that he doesn't want to cause a fight but the viewer can tell he is not best pleased with the actions unfolding before him, as if he is taking note for events later down the line. It would be an interesting technique to use in our vertical slice but would require long animation sequences to get this across. As effective as I think this would be for setting our scene from a narrative point of view, it doesn't seem too feasible from a gameplay aspect.
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Comics -
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Very early on in the project it was recommended that I look at some Wild West inspired comics to help streamline the visuals I was creating. Below are two of the examples I looked at;
MUSIC
Music - unlike other genres, the music associated with the wild west it usually linked to the films i.e. when you think of wild west music, you think of the movie soundtracks. As this is the most well-known source of music I decided to listen to the soundtracks of the films I studied above, along with some TV series soundtracks that were suggested to me (I wouldn't want to use such obvious tracks in our vertical slice as then people already have associations with that music but they are a good place to start to know what to aim for).
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The good the bad and the ugly soundtrack
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Probably one of the most well-known in today's society. The strong beat and repetitive whistling tunes give that sense of wild west lifestyle and people going about their business. to me, the chanting that kicks in a little later almost signifies the clashing of cultures in the old west. The vocals pertain to almost war cries and the crescendo of the music before referring back to the intro of the song signifies the ups and downs of events in the western civilisation. Its tense, its strong and its memorable making it the ideal intro for a film or experience. It gives the viewer a taste of action and excitement for what is to come. Something similar to this with the heightening of the music would very much suit our vertical slice.
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A Fistful of Dollars soundtrack
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Starting with a basic guitar riff and whistling tunes, this piece links directly to stereotypical wild west media. The flute gives a sharp tone signifying adventure and the sound effects of bells and the cracking of whips build an atmosphere around this western community. I link this very strongly to images of a character riding through the desert or wandering through a new town. Not necessarily at the heart of a quest but more in the everyday lifestyle of traversing the vast areas of land. Very useful for if we have scenes like this ourselves.
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Bonanza
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Designed more to tell a story, the Bonanza soundtrack takes on an almost melancholy storytelling vibe as oppose to our film examples before. The vocals lend themselves to a more community feel and a much more peaceful atmosphere. I don't think there'll be much space for this kind of approach in our vertical slice as the ideas we have set out already aren't exactly the peaceful kind. Its nice to know there is a more relaxed side to western music but perhaps not what we're looking for.
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High Chapparel​
Another iconic tune, perhaps moreso for an older generation than myself (a reminder of Sunday morning's as my mum put it). I think it has a much more wholesome feel to it than the aggression of the movie soundtracks. It feels much more like something most people could immerse themselves in, regardless of whether they like the wild west culture or not. Its a grand track and I think it would suit a heroic theme very well, depending on what kind of characters we would like to build.