Somewhere : a first person exploration and sthealth game
Hello. I am working on a small exploration and stealth game called Somewhere. I am collaborating on the project with a programmer and we have been working on the game for about a year. The following thread is both an introductory post to the game, and a small art dump from what we have build so far.
* the game is in pre alpha so the images you see above are very much a work in progress !
We are crafting the environments in Sketchup. And the game is bullit in Unity (indie). The images above are screenshots from our recent builds or experiments. All the environments use painted textures and a simple diffuse shader. I will discuss the crafting process in detail over subsequent posts.
* a portion of Somewhere was developed at Of Games : Theater in code. An art residency program at Khoj.Somewhere is an experimental exploration and stealth game, that is played in the first person mode. The game is set in the the late colonial period and narrates incidents surrounding the search for a mythical town called Kayamgdah.
The game is also an exploration of how stories distort under the scrutiny of interaction, and how the act of play might allow for a drastic shift in the our understanding of what manner of stories might be told through interactive mediums.
Central to game play in Somewhere is the ability to turn into every character within the story being narrated. A player travels through the game world by becoming other people, and as you navigate identities, you realise that each person you become is a figment of another character's imagination and a part of yet another story. Somewhere is therefore, most of all, a collection of stories. a collection that spawns characters through which a player might comprehend this Gameworld.
Mirroring a player's insidious intrusion, Somewhere is played as a stealth game. Sneak up on people, possess them and navigate the Gameworld as different characters. The narrative distortion that accompanies a shift in character, is further exacerbated by the convoluted construction of it's surreal spaces. The player will often walk into photographs, move through disconnected spaces, insidiously listen to other conversations and form an understanding of the world that no character within the story can individually posses.
Replies
Vimeo
I love it.
Here are some process screenshots, from Sketchup and their in game counterparts.
Thank you ! Really glad you like the art.
The surrealism influence is deliberate ( with the clocks as you point out and with size distortion or repetitious use of objects ) especially given the strong dadaist influences on the storytelling.
Also, Thank you so much for introducing me to the wonderful work of Maurice Sendack. Such incredible illustrations !
Thank you ! Really glad you like the game and it's premise so far, and I appreciate your kind words regarding the same.
I have just begun crafting anew environment ( a last minute addition to our IndieCade build ) so will document the process in subsequent posts.
Thank you ! Yourname942. I do agree, though I often find it difficult to judge the proper contrast while setting up lights within Unity, especially if I am trying to work with desaturated textures and softer hues like those on the wall.
Since we are posting again after a bit of hiatus - there were some environments that we were experimenting with in the interlude that I am going to skip. Might post some images from them later.
With this specific room we are working within smaller environmental confines.
The idea to to concentrate of non architectural and context specific details. Objects that build narratives within the game world. In tandem with a basic shift in scale I am also using this room to explore the a more saturated pallet of hues, and sharper contrast with fewer lights.
The meshes and textures for the objects are a work in progress. I would really appreciate any criticisms and suggestions you might have !
Also does anybody know where on might find reference images from colonial houses ? Especially architecture that blends vernacular construction with colonial styles ?
If I go to Google Images and type Colonial Interior, I see lots of options. I'd search for variations on that. They also have sub-genres at the top of the results... Early, Revival, Modern, etc.
Nonetheless I think I have a few images I can use at the moment.
Here are some more screens from the same environment. wip of course. I am trying to build odd volumetric paintings by placing three dimensional meshes and layered textures within window like painting frames. The portraits that are crafted like this look rather strange ! Still need to make the frame less window like.
@Temporal Drift. Thank you ! We are still working on the colors and the textures. Placing, aligning and accurately applying textures in Sketchup is a rather tedious process, and the spaces ought to look better once we are closer to the final builds with their proper lightmaps.
Our sources of inspiration are rather eclectic. As you noticed there are several elements taken directly from surrealist paintings. The architecture itself is a simplified combination of revivalist colonial building, ( modified by the limitation of working with low poly art in Sketchup ). But a bulk of our visuals actually translate from the literary reference we use, Italo Calvino's wonderful cities, or Luis Borges strange worlds or even the absurd rhymes of Sukumar Ray.
http://www.videogametourism.at/node/1828
We are very close to completing an early alpha build, and will start posting some videos soon. Will probably upload the playable build sometime next week.
I would just be careful with the smoothing groups. I realize that its part of the style and its intentional, but you are walking a sorta fine line between stylized (and no offense) a sorta broken cg look. I think if and when you pull this off it will look great all around, just keep a fresh eye on it.
* Added some details to the rooms and finished the courtyard.