Journal Special: So you want to be a Game Developer?

Plot Backgrounds Characters Music Voice Software
Code Sound 3D Set Testing Project Management Public Relations
   
Entry #3: Know Your Role  
March 1st, 2008 | Neil Rodrigues
 

This month’s entry is somewhat of a continuation to last month’s.  We had discussed background art, and the crucial role it plays in telling the story.  But at the end of the day, a background is just a pretty picture.  The real meat in adventure games like The Silver Lining is found in its characters.  Characters help to drive storyline by directly interacting with the player on-demand.  Depending on what a character wants, they can either help or hinder progress as the player proceeds throughout the game.

Characters often hold the “key” to solving many puzzles.  This key is not necessarily a physical key that unlocks doors.  It could be a needed inventory item of some kind, new information, or any kind of advice that helps the player solve a puzzle.  Once the player receives this key, they are granted access to items or locations that would otherwise be unavailable.  The caveat, of course, is that a character will not relinquish their key unless and until you help them first.  In other words, just like in real life, most character relationships in TSL work on the premise of: You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours

There are however, a couple major exceptions to this rule which are worth mentioning.  Antagonists rarely require any help from the player and as a result, their key is only obtainable after defeating them.  The other exception is for characters with substantial amounts of wealth/resources/power, since they could easily just hire help instead. 

Who fits this second profile?  In TSL, this would be the top rulers of all the lands, namely King Alexander & Queen Cassima.  Since blood is thicker than water, there’s no mystery as to whether or not Alexander would help Graham… but what about Cassima?  This month’s entry will explore her character design, and why the usual quid pro quo simply doesn’t cut it with the Queen of the Green Isles.

 
 

Reference Material

In order to understand Cassima, the first thing to realize is that she’s not just a pretty face.  This woman has an impressive rap sheet of being an evil wizard’s janitor and the captive fiancée of a ruthless murderer.  Before you get the wrong idea, those roles were bestowed upon her against her will.

     
KQV Reference - Cassima, Graham & Crispin KQV Reference - Cassima & Royal Family KQV Reference - Cassima & Graham
Figures 1-3: Reference Material for Cassima - King's Quest V
   

Cassima is also no stranger to Graham.  Graham had freed her from being Mordack’s eternal cleaning-lady back in KQV, where she and Graham’s son Alexander first met.  Shortly thereafter (in KQVI), Alexander set sail for the Land of the Green Isles to rescue Cassima from the clutches of Vizier Alhazred.  By the end of the game, Alexander married Cassima, but not before presenting her with the ultimate wedding gift - bringing her parents back to life from the Land of the Dead. I feel bad for that guy who only got them a toaster.

   
KQVI Reference - Cassima KQVI Reference - Alexander & Cassima
Figures 4 & 5: Reference Material for Cassima - King's Quest VI
   
Visually, Cassima’s low resolution appearances in past games weren’t detailed enough to create her 3D form for TSL.  Instead, we based the design of all the main characters on real actors & actresses.  For Cassima, we wanted a girl with a fresh and youthful look, but to also look mature enough to have endured her difficult past, and strong enough to govern five islands.  We chose to base our initial designs on Academy Award-winning actress, Jennifer Connelly, who was a perfect inspiration for the role. *drools*
     
Jennifer Connelly - Cassima Reference Jennifer Connelly - Cassima Reference Jennifer Connelly - Cassima Reference
Figures 6, 7 & 8: Reference Material for Cassima - Jennifer Connelly
 
 

Black & White Sketches

     
Black & White Sketch of Cassima Black & White Sketch of Cassima Black & White Sketch of Cassima
Black & White Sketch of Cassima

Cassima went through various transformations during the sketch phase.  Different artists worked on her design, and each artist had a particular sketching style.  Most of these designs were done before the decision was made to base Cassima on Jennifer Connelly. 

After it was decided to use the actress, Cassima’s style seemed to remain more or less consistent and the focus was then brought to her costume design. After all, what good is having a rockin' body, if you never bother showing it off?

Black & White Sketch of Cassima
Black & White Sketch of Cassima Black & White Sketch of Cassima Black & White Sketch of Cassima
Figures 9 - 16: Black & White Sketches of Cassima
 
 

2D Coloured Sketches

   
Coloured Sketch of Cassima Coloured Sketch of Cassima
Figures 17 & 18: Coloured Sketches of Cassima
   
Cassima only wore a couple of dresses in previous KQ games.  In KQV, her attire looked more like Cinderella rags than a dress, and in KQVI she wore the same dress throughout.  Costume design started with the KQVI dress, but since several years have passed since then (*cough* 15 *cough*), we decided to update her wardrobe to include three new styles.  Since Cassima’s daytime apparel is the first one the player will see in the game, the character design from this point forward will showcase her in that particular outfit.
   
Coloured Sketch of Cassima Coloured Sketch of Cassima
Figures 19 & 20: Coloured Sketches of Cassima
   
 

3D Model

You'll notice that in the previous stage, Cassima was drawn in three different views: front, back and side. She is also standing with arms pointed straight out (a.k.a the "da Vinci" pose). This standard is used on all characters, because it helps the modellers design the 3D form. Note also that the clothing is directly embedded onto the model.  Cassima respectfully declined our request to do any kind of nude modeling.

3D Model of Cassima
Figure 21: 3D Model of Cassima

 
 

Textured Models

The 2D coloured sketch was then grafted onto the 3D model through a process called: UV unwrapping.  Next, finalizing touch-ups are made to the texture, to account for differences in lighting & shading.  They’re also done to ensure the final result matches the coloured sketch as closely as possible.  Without these tweaks, the model would look too smooth and unrealistic – similar to wrapping cellophane wrap around someone’s face.  Needless to say, please just use your imagination, and do not wrap your face in cellophane.

   
Textured Model of Cassima Textured Model of Cassima
Figures 22 & 23: Textured Models of Cassima
   
 

Exported Character

And voila!  Cassima is added into the game, along with animations for facial expressions and actions.  In this scene, Cassima is sitting by the fire and having a candid talk with Graham about the recent tragedy involving Alexander and Rosella: 

King Graham & Queen Cassima
Figure 24: King Graham and Queen Cassima

Don’t remember what this tragedy is?  Shame on you!  Go replay the TSL Public Demo now, and pay closer attention this time!

 
 

This entry should have given you more insight into character design, specifically Cassima’s.  I couldn't delve too deep into her design without revealing too much, but you should now have a general idea of both the thought and art process involved during her TSL creation.  The key to having great characters is to change your mindset from the traditional user-centric one, to a dynamic character-centric one.  Meaning, rather than just seeing NPC’s (non-playable characters) as people you "mooch stuff" off of, instead you should understand their behaviour and their role in the overall storyline.  A character’s behaviour directly affects the way they interact with the player, but also the way they look, sound and react will dictate how well they co-operate.  Characters exist for a reason, and once you understand them, you’ll know how to get them to help you.

If you like what you’ve seen so far, be sure to tune in next month.  From what I hear, it sounds like it’ll be a true masterpiece.

>> Comments