Sound in Games

Sound is a very important aspect in games and is often a rather overlooked part of video games. It has many purposes from increasing the immersion and realism of the game, to inducing emotions in the player. When playing a game you are constantly hearing different sounds, things like footsteps, explosions, dialogue and many more. All these sounds are important to the environment of a game, it makes the game more realistic and makes the player feel more in the action. Sound is also used for events, to induce emotions in the player. One example of this could be in a horror game. There are often creepy sounds coming from unseen places, that without would make the game much less scary and tense.

As well as the sound coming from the game environment itself, there is also often music that accompanies them. Music in games is very important and can be used in many different ways. It can induce emotions in the player and also set the mood of the location or event in a game. An example of music being used to induce emotions could be at a sad moment within a game, there will more than likely be sad music playing at the same time. Music is also used as an extension of the visual aspects and locations of the game, so if there was a scene set in a foreign land, the music will often sound foreign too.

In order to put sounds into a game, first they have to be recorded, that is the job of a Foley artist. In order to create these sounds, the Foley artist will often record or recreate the event itself, however they will also have to come up with quite creative ways of gaining some sounds. One example of this is the sound of feet treading in the snow. Snow isn't always available, so the sound has to be simulated using something else. One common way of creating this sound is by crushing corn starch within a leather pouch. The event it is representing is rather different to how the sound was obtained, however when playing the sound over a video of the event happening, it would be very hard to hear the difference. Sometimes the original sounds recorded will sound nothing like the event it is intended for and will be manipulated using computer software.

Physics of Sound

What is sound?
Sound is vibrations. It travels through air but it can also travel through other mediums, both liquids and solids. The vibrations are transferred by being passed on from particle to particle. When these vibrations meet your ear they travel through the ear to the cochlea. The cochlea is filled with fluid and when the vibrations reach it, they transfer to little hairs that are connected to the auditory nerve. The vibrations are then converted into nerve impulses which are sent to the brain where you perceive them as sound.

Waveform Properties
Sound travels in waves. There are a few aspects to these waves that affect how the sound is heard.

One aspect of the wave is it's amplitude. This is the height of each wave and determines how loud the sound is. The higher the amplitude the louder the sound will be. Amplitude is measured by the amount of force it applies to an area. The most commonly used unit for this measurement is decibels, however it is also measured in newtons per square meter (N/m2).

Another aspect of the wave is it's length. The wavelength is the length of each wave and is the main aspect that effects the pitch of the sound. The shorter the wavelength, the higher pitched the sound will be. Wavelength is measured in normal units of distance measurement.

Another aspect of the wave is it's speed. The wave speed is the speed at which the sound travels and has an affect on the pitch of the sound. The speed of the waves is determined by the density of the medium the vibrations are travelling through. For example, sound travelling through air will travel slower than a sound travelling through water.

The fourth and last aspect of sound waves is the frequency. Frequency is the number of waves per second and is affected by both the wavelength and the wave speed. It is the main way of displaying the pitch of a sound, the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch. The unit of measurement of frequency is Hertz (Hz).

Team Logo Concepts

Psychology of Sound

All music has emotions and connotations attached to it. When you listen to music it can make you sad, happy, angry and many other emotions. Different people also experience different emotions from the same song. One song that might make one person feel sadness, another person might feel calmed by it. Also with music, people often envision what would be accompanied with the music, a visual representation of the song. Some songs sound almost as if they're from adventure films, the music sounds as if it's going on a journey. Other songs could be considered almost like fighting music, music that is fast paced and heavy, that would suit a fighting game. As well as the music itself, the lyrics will often induce emotions in the listener. The lyrics could tell a sad story, or it could be something uplifting and jolly.

I have chosen to focus my attention on songs by the band Rush. The reason for this is the depth of the stories within their songs. Many of their greatest songs are not only musically brilliant, but each and everyone has some story to tell, whether it be set in the future after some form of apocalypse or set in a medieval world with dragons and necromancers.

Rush - 2112

The first part, Overture, has no particular meaning, however many people believe this part represents the rise of the Solar Federation.

The second part, The Temples of Syrinx, is the introduction of 'The Priests'. They talk about what they have done for mankind as if they have done good, but they haven't they disguise their oppression as if it is all for the benefit of mankind. Nearly all of this part of the song is heavy rock, so that coupled with what 'The Priests' are saying makes the listener angry.

The third part, Discovery, is about the protagonist finding a guitar and learning to play it. The part starts off as very simple and basic guitar playing and then it gradually increases in it's complexity. This part is one of the few parts that actually has happy moments. The discovery of the guitar and how happy it makes the protagonist effects the listener too.

The fourth part, Presentation, is when the protagonist presents the guitar and the music to the priests. The priests strongly reject the guitar and the music. The protagonist then attempts to explain that the music will bring beauty and happiness to the world. The priests are angered by the protagonist and Father Brown stomps on the guitar, destroying it. This part evokes both anger and sadness in the listener. The anger comes from what the priest has just done, he destroyed one of the only things that the protagonist found important. The sadness is for the protagonist, what is he going to do now? He just lost the guitar, the one thing that brought him happiness.

The fifth part, Oracle: The Dream, the protagonist goes home and has a vision, that he thinks is a dream, of the past and future. An oracle shows him what the world and it's society were like before the rise of the Federation, when people had freedom and creativity. He then realises that his life has no meaning without these things. This part increases the sadness of the song, the protagonist discovering that the world hasn't always been how he knows it and that it used to be so much better.

The sixth part, Soliloquy, is when the protagonist goes back to the cave where he found the guitar and broods for days. He imagines his life in the old world that he had seen and now looks at his life in the world under the Federation as cold and empty. He then comes to the conclusion that to "pass into the world of my dream" he must take his own life. This is probably the pinnacle of sadness in the song. Not only is the sadness of the protagonist being transferred to the listener, but then when the protagonist kills himself because of it, makes it even sadder.

The seventh and last part, Grand Finale, is another upbeat, heavy rock instrumental. Like Overture, this part also has no particular meaning. Many people see this part as the Humans, who originally evacuated Earth, returning to take it back. The reason this part is often thought as Earth being reclaimed is by the only few lyrics in this part, which are:

Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation 
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation 
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation 
We have assumed control 
We have assumed control 
We have assumed control

This shows that someone does come and take over Earth and even though it has never been officially confirmed, a few of the band members have mention that the intention of the last part was the return of the humans who had evacuated. This is also very upsetting, the protagonist has just taken his own life and now, the world he wanted to live in might only be around the corner. But it could also be considered happy as well, the remaining humans could be getting back the world how it used to be and the priests are most likely to get what they deserve for their years of oppression and intolerance.

As well as the story itself inducing emotions, other aspects also make the song much more powerful. One aspect is from the voice of the lead singer, Geddy Lee. He changes his voice depending on which characters he's portraying. When representing the protagonist his voice is gentle and low pitched and when representing the priests his voice is harsh and high pitched. In his voice you can clearly hear the different emotions going through the character being represented. The one part I find the most emotional is in Soliloquy, when the protagonist thinks about his life and how he no longer values living in the world. The lyrics are:

Just think of what my life might be 
In a world like I have seen! 
I don't think I can carry on 
Carry on this cold and empty life 

My spirits are low in the depths of despair 
My lifeblood... 
... Spills over... 

At this point the protagonist's voice has changed, where it used to be soft and gentle it has become rough and high pitched, as if he is shouting at the top of his voice in despair. Then at the end of " My lifeblood... Spills over..." His voice seems to come to a point of relief as he passes away.

Another aspect of the song is the music itself. With every voice change from Geddy Lee there is often a change in music also. When the protagonist is speaking the music is often soft and harmonious acoustic guitar playing and when the priests are speaking it is often accompanied with heavy, distorted electric guitar playing. Just like the singing the only time this pattern changes is at the end of Soliloquy, as the protagonist comes to the point of suicide the music becomes much heavier and distorted and one of the main riffs of the songs that is full of the emotion of the song comes in between "Carry on this cold and empty life" and "My spirits are low in the depths of despair". This sudden change in both music and vocals displays the mental unrest within the protagonist and how much he has changed because of this.

Overall, I think this song is a very sad one, and even though there is one part that is more uplifting and happy when he finds the guitar, it just makes it even more upsetting when he loses it.


Rush - The Necromancer

The first part of the song, Into the Darkness, follows the journey of three travellers. It starts off describing their journey, the music is very calm and harmonious except for one aspect. The one aspect is a distorted electric guitar that starts off very quiet and gradually becomes louder and louder. The calm music represents the state of mind of the travellers, they feel as if it couldn't be better, there's nothing to be afraid of. The distorted electric guitar represents the Necromancer's power, becoming stronger as they get closer to him. The necromancer can see them coming and the travellers are unaware of what is to happen to them. This part is a very strange one for the listener, it first makes the listener quite calm and serene, the soft music displaying the happy adventure of the travellers. The singing at first, isn't singing at all, it is the drummer, Neil Peart, speaking the story. At first he just describes them emerging from the forest, but then the travellers make a turn southward, towards the lands of the Necromancer. Then, when the singing of Geddy Lee comes in it describes the dangers they are about to face. After the singing of Geddy Lee the electric guitar takes over with a powerful, heavy riff. This is a continuation of the journey as they make their way towards the Necromancer's lair as the danger and power of the Necromancer become stronger as they get closer. This whole part almost induces fear in the listener, what will become of the three helpless travellers?

The second part, Under the Shadow, tells the story of the three travellers unknowingly arriving inside the Necromancer's lair. The Necromancer knows that they are there and knows they are trapped. The Necromancer drains the three travellers of life, turning them into mindless spectres. The travellers now under the spell of the Necromancer, unable to resist his powers, they are locked in dungeons. The beginning of the part is once again the talking of Neil Peart, describing the travellers impending doom and the Necromancer's awareness of their presence. This part also has another high pitched electric guitar solo that represents the struggle that the travellers endure as the Necromancer turns them into spectres, displaying the torment and devastation of their minds. This part once again brings fear to the listener, but it is also accompanied with a feeling of wanting to fight. The listener feels anger towards the Necromancer, wanting to fight for the helpless travellers and prevent him from taking the travellers.

The third and final part, Return of the Prince, describes the appearance of Prince By-Tor, who has come to rescue all the spectres that have been imprisoned by the Necromancer. He kills the Necromancer who then turns into a wraith and flies away into the night in search of another land he can wreak his havoc upon. The slaying of the Necromancer releases all the people who were held captive by him, who then run free from the dungeons. All of this part is accompanied by upbeat, heavy rock, fitting well with the Prince's triumphant battle. As the singing ends the main solo of the song comes in, displaying the joy of the victorious battle over evil. This part of the song makes the listener almost want to fight, feeling as if they are in the role of the Prince, giving the Necromancer what he deserves. At the end of this part when everything has happened and the darkness is banished from the land it makes the listener almost feel a sense of pride, good has triumphed over evil.

Overall I like this song because of it's classic simplicity. The whole story of good triumphing over evil and the valiant hero is a very popular form of story, making the listener fearful for the lives of the innocent and then happy as the hero comes to the rescue.


Rush - Cygnus X-1 Duology

Book I: The Voyage

The first part, Prologue, introduces a black hole titled Cygnus X-1. All lyrics in this part are spoken by a sound engineer, Terry Brown. After the spoken part of the Prologue the rockets of a spaceship drowns out all of the music. This represents the protagonist setting off in his spaceship towards Cygnus X-1. Once the sound of the rockets die down, the bass guitar comes in with a very strange alternating tune that becomes louder and louder. Then the rest of the band joins in with drums and electric guitar, still playing strange notes and sound effects. All this strange music resembles the journey of the protagonist, through strange and alien space. This part of the song is very creepy, almost makes the listener uncomfortable, the strangeness of space being represented through the music.

The second part, Part 1, is all about the black hole, describing it and asking what would happen to someone if they were to fly in it. This part is sung very loudly and high pitched by Geddy Lee. The emotion in the lyrics show how serious this black hole is and almost bring fear to the listener.

The third part, Part 2, describes the journey of the protagonist. This part is also very high pitched, accompanied by a lot of high pitched, distorted guitar. This part also shows the seriousness, but it also has a very adventurous tone to it, making the listener feel as if they can take on the world, climb any mountain. As the protagonist is caught by the pull of the black hole and loses all control of his ship, the music changes suddenly to single, low pitched chords that match up with each syllable of the lyrics. As the lyrics fade out, Alex Lifeson, the guitarist, comes in with a wah-wah guitar solo. This represents the chaos that ensues as the black hole draws in the protagonist's ship. This part makes the listener become slightly fearful once again, the protagonist can no longer escape and will now have to face whatever the black hole has to offer.

The fourth and last part of the first book, Part 3, is a description of what happens to the protagonist as he gets drawn into the black hole. It starts off in the same fashion as the first part, with strange music but escalates into full, heavy rock. This represents the danger of the black hole and becomes louder and heavier as time goes on, displaying the protagonist getting closer to his impending doom. There are very few lyrics in this part, but it describes what happens in horrific detail:

Spinning, whirling, 
Still descending 
Like a spiral sea, 
Unending 

Sound and fury 
Drowns my heart 
Every nerve 
Is torn apart....

The singing of this part brings out the emotion even more, the last line being delivered as an almost ear piercing scream. This part is probably the peak of fear for the listener, as the protagonist is pulled into the black hole and "torn apart" paints a gruesome picture. Another aspect to the ending of the song is something that most people might actually miss. During the strumming of the guitar at the end, faint heart beats can be heard in the background. This also adds to the mystery and creepiness of the song.

Book II: Hemispheres

The first part, Prelude, is mostly an instrumental. It incorporates many of the themes heard later on in the song. The style of the music is almost like some form of battle music. It starts off with the drumming and guitar at a pace similar to marching music. It then turns and is more of the kind of battle music that displays some kind of struggle between the combatants. Then the music starts to calm down and become calm and almost harmonic, but then slowly changes again to more heavy rock. Then the singing comes in describing the struggle between two gods when the world was still young. This part is actually quite calming to the listener, until near the end where it becomes a lot more fast paced and heavy.

The second part, Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom, which describes the one side of the battle. This side is the left hemisphere, the ones that think logically. Apollo had shown people to build cities and gain understanding of science and knowledge. It then describes how many of them went missing, so Apollo consulted with the wise men and went in search for the ones they had lost. At the end of this part is a guitar solo that represents the people travelling to the forests of Dionysus and discovering why all the people had disappeared.

The third part, Dionysus: Bringer of Love, describes the other side in the battle. This side is the right hemisphere, the people who are creative and sensitive. Dionysus lured many people away from Apollo into the forests and provided them with love. This section describes how many of the people who were once part of Apollo's society were drawn away from them to join Dionysus. Many of the people were much happier but without Apollo they no longer had the safety and advances, so when winter came it brought starvation. These last two parts display the two societies of opposite extremes. Neither of them can survive without the other, but both gods are too stubborn to accept that. The two parts make the listener angry, with the music always heavy, aggressive rock and the lyrics talking about the two gods.

The forth part, Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind, describes the battle that ensues and the entrance of the protagonist from Book I. The first two verses describe the battle and the hopelessness of it all. The way that all these people are fighting for no reason at all. The music at this point has become very battle-like again, as Geddy Lee sings about what has happened. This makes the listener again angry, why are they fighting over something so trivial? Both of the god's judgement has been clouded by hatred for the other. The last verse is the entrance of the protagonist, the music has slowed down and is much calmer. He describes where he has come from and how he got there. This leaves the listener in a little state of suspense, what will the protagonist do? It also leaves the listener quite happy, the explorer has survived in one form or another.

The fifth part, Cygnus: The Bringer of Balance, tells the story of the explorer and his opinion of what he is seeing. He is deeply disturbed by what he sees, the god's taking people to battle over something completely avoidable. The explorer is now just a spirit, he has awareness and his memories but no longer has a physical presence. Being unable to do anything he gives out a silent cry. The warriors feel this cry and all stop, mystified as to what it is. He explains his story to the two gods, who look down on Olympus and are saddened by the state it has gotten into. At the end the two gods unite together and recognise the explorer as another god, naming him Cygnus, The God of Balance. This makes the listener very happy, the battle has been resolved and the explorer has become a god.

The sixth and final part, The Sphere, describes the union between the two hemispheres as it becomes a sphere. This is a wonderful conclusion to the song in which Geddy Lee describes the two sides becoming one, "sense and liberty". This is probably the peak of happiness for the listener, the world becoming one and everyone living in harmony.

Overall these two songs, Book I and II, have many different and contrasting emotions throughout. Some moments are almost moments of fear, whereas other moments are of happiness.

Stop-Motion Reflection

This is my final edit of the stop-motion animation. It was also chosen by the group to be the group's final animation and the one that we used when getting feedback via a survey.

Overall I'm quite happy with my edit, however the animation itself could have been better. We did make quite a few plans as to how the animation was going to look and how we were going to do it, but because we were unable to get a hold of the resources we needed, we had to come up with a different idea on the day of the creation, coming up with ideas as we went along. I'm quite happy with my choice of sound files, as I think they all seemed to fit quite well and allowed me to make the animation a little more entertaining.

For the credits and the opening screen I chose to make them in flash, as I found Windows Live Movie Maker too basic and limited to meet my needs. I am very happy about making the decision to use Flash, as it looks a lot better than anything I could have done using Movie Maker. Also, a lot of the comments that people have made about the video, is complimenting it on the quality of the credits and opening screen.

I think that the music I chose to use was very good, as it complimented the mood of the action quite well, and I also managed to synchronise it quite well with the credits.

For the animation itself, in the end I am quite happy with how it turned out, considering the circumstances that we made it in. The animation was fairly easy to follow and when people watch it, we don't have to explain everything. One part that could be improved was the walk cycle of the main character when he's walking down the road, as he doesn't swing his arms when he's walking, which looks a little strange. Another thing that we could have done better is the backgrounds. Although the actual art work was of good quality and to a high standard, we where rushing quite a bit when printing them out. This resulted in us just printing them off on A3 paper and leaving on the white borders, so it didn't look very professional.

So overall, like I said, the animation itself could have been a bit better but considering how rushed we were, we did quite well. However, the editing I am very happy with and I think it improved the overall professional  level of the animation quite a lot.

Stop Motion Plan

My Stop Motion Plan on Prezi

This is the plan I made for the stop motion animation.

Flash Animation Reflection

Using the feedback I received from my class I have improved my animation. One of the comments made about my animation was that it wasn't very linear. So what I have done, rather than having a static view and a few rollover animations, I have made it so that there are buttons to go to the next/last frame. Another comment made about my animation was that it needs more animations. This was because only a few of my frames in the comic had rollover animations. So what I have done now is made a rollover animation for every frame. The last suggestion to improve my animation was to add a title and end screen. So what I have done is made a title screen with a play button and an end screen which has a play again button.

Overall I think I did quite well with my animation. It had a good use of buttons and rollover events and most people agreed that the story was quite good and easy to follow. I am also very happy with how the artwork turned out, I think it's to very high standards and some of the best artwork I've done in flash. All the goals I set for myself after receiving feedback I have achieved, so I am happy to have achieved what I set out to do.

Looking back on it now, by using my comic strip for my animation I was preventing myself from being able to create a fully linear animation. If I were to do this again, I would start completely from scratch, and make a fully linear animation, rather than use something I had made previously.

When comparing it to a professional example there are a few things I notice. The first is the aspect of sound, many flash animations are accompanied by sound and music, often making the animation more enjoyable. There is also the aspect, as stated above, of the animations being much more fluid in professional examples, whereas in my animation the action was more repetitive and simple. I also notice that the artwork itself is often a lot cleaner in professional examples, where there are no mistakes and things look as they should, whereas in mine some parts of the art are a bit wonky and warped. Overall however, my animation as a whole wasn't far off from the level of a professional and I am happy with the results.

Here is a professional of a flash animation:

And here is my final animation:

Development of Animation

How Does Animation Work?
Animation, the illusion of movement, is possible because of a phenomenon known as 'Persistence of Vision'. The theory is that there is an after image that stays on the retina for one twenty-fifth of a second, meaning any animations or films close to or higher than 25 frames per second will give an almost seamless illusion of movement.

What is Stop Motion?
Stop motion is where the film or animation is made using single still images to convey movement rather than recording real movement. What you would do is take an image of a still object, then move it slightly in some way and take another image. After a while these images would be able to be put in a sequence, giving the illusion of movement, when in reality they are just images of still objects that change slightly each frame. There are many examples of successful animations that use this method. One company that has made many successful stop motion animations is Aardman Animations, responsible for creating Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run and their recent success The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists.

What Different Frame Rates Exist and Why?
There are many different frame rates used for both capturing and displaying films. Currently, the main frame rates for displaying film and TV are 24, 25 and 30 frames per second. However when capturing the film it could be any frame rate, sometimes going into the thousands, allowing the resulting film to be slowed down by massive amounts, but still retaining the fluidity of the motion.

Stop Motion Project

Stop Motion Project on Prezi

The Dead Linger

After pledging some money to The Dead Linger game, I felt as if I wanted to contribute more to the game. After discovering a section in the forums, "Survivor Creations", I felt compelled to create some 3D models and upload the images of them to the forum.

Here's a few of the models I've made:

For more images of the models I've made go to http://tfpearson.blogspot.co.uk/p/dead-linger.html

Animorph Part 3 - The Old One

I have now named the character and created a bio for him.


https://1444914129542510240-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/comicstrippage1/swf/Raven%20Head%201.swf

Bio & Abilities

The Old One was there at the beginning of the world, without him the Darkrin would have won the Great War. He is the reason the world is free of chaos.

The Old One has no real name, he communicates through telepathy and resembles an 8 foot tall Raven. He is extremely smart and knowledgeable, hence why he is often referred to as the “all knowing one”, a title he readily denies. He lives in a giant oak just on the outskirts of the village. He prefers quite a solitary life; however he is still friendly to any visitors to his home.  He often wears leather armour when defending the village from the Darkrin that hide in the outlaying forests. He also has the ability to let out a shriek capable of incapacitating any enemy. He also has superior vision capable of seeing for miles and able to use a heat vision ability capable of seeing enemies through objects.


Role In the Game

• This character would be your guide for the game, guiding you on the basics of the game, and helping you now and again throughout your adventure.
• Your character is the apprentice to The Old One.
• He will bestow onto you unique powers once you are worthy.

Animorph Part 2

Here's the second instalment in the creation of my animorph for college. Now the Raven has full body armour that covers the back and part of the wings.

https://1444914129542510240-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/comicstrippage1/swf/Raven%20Head%201.swf

Animorph Part 1

This is the first part of creating the animorph for College. My idea so far is going to be a Raven with aviator goggles and an aviator hat. I also plan to complete the rest of the Raven's body, with full armour.

I've created the entire thing using flash as I have grown to like using flash and am getting quite good at using it.

Comic Strip

This is my comic strip, this time converted to be more linear.

Group Reflection

Overall the feedback from my peers were quite positive. Many people liked the amount of detail I had put into it and the use of buttons for roll-over events. One of the suggestions to improve was to do more animations, so one of my goals is to add some form of animation to each frame. Another suggestion of how to improve it was to make it more linear, so rather than having all the frames on one page, I could have one frame then have a next button to scroll to the next frame. A third area for improvement was to add a title and end scene. What I will do is either create a title screen specific to the issue, or create a title screen that could be used on every issue of the comic. For the end frame I would make a frame with either "THE END" or "To Be Continued". So these are my targets for improving my comic strip:

1. Add more animations
2. Make the comic linear
3. Make a title frame and an end frame

Comic Strip Main Character

Here's an image of the main character from my comic strip, in 3D form. Most parts of the character are different pieces of models imported from Fallout 3, however the slingshot was created by me.

Here's a render of the slingshot.

Comic Strip Page 1

Link to full sized .swf file:
https://1444914129542510240-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/comicstrippage1/swf/Comic%20Strip.swf

Individual Frames

Final Cutscene Animation

Here it is, my finished "35 Second Cutscene Animation", hope you like it.

Reflection of My Animation

What did I do?

For my animation I chose to do a cutscene animation for Fallout (The first game, made by Interplay Entertainment). I decided that my animation would be set outside Vault 13 and that it would involve the Vault Dweller walk from the open vault door to the door control panel, using it and then watching the vault close. Then the scene would fade to another scene of the Vault Dweller walking slowly into the distant darkness of the cave.

How did I do it?

The first thing I did was create the vault door. Then using this vault door as a template I was able to create the wall that it goes into and the mechanism that closes it, texturing each object as I created it. Then I set about importing models from the Fallout 3 game files to use for the rest of my scene, the caves, the vault control panel and the corridor behind the door. Then I imported all the necessary objects to create a character, modifying the texture for the vault jumpsuit so it has a number “13” on its back rather than “101”. The final stage before starting on the animation was the lighting, using a mixture of omni lights and spoptlights with volume light I created two ceiling lights, several spotlights on the floor and the spotlight that hangs over the vault control panel. Then I started work on my animation, fully animating the closing of the vault door. Once I’d finished the vault door animation, I then fully rigged the character I had imported from Fallout 3. Then using an image of a walk cycle as a guide I started to animate the character. The first day I only animated the legs of the character walking from the vault door to the control panel, as I had tried and failed earlier on in the day. The second day I completed the animation of him walking to the control panel, and also the animation of him leaning in and operating the controls. On the third and final day of animating I animated him standing back and watching the vault door close and him walking into the darkness of the cave.

Did the final outcome meet my original intentions?

Yes, I actually think it might have come out a little bit better than I expected. There were a few things that I underestimated the difficulty to do, but over all I did underestimate my ability to animate as it had only been my third or fourth time.

How did I manage my time?

Overall, not too well. The reason being is that I didn’t really think about how long it was going to take to create the animation I had thought of, causing me to spend most of my free time at home trying to keep up with the deadline. Although given the fact that I did finish the animation on time I did manage it quite well, once I realised that I wouldn’t be able to finish it in lesson time alone.

Final Render

Here's a final render of the scene that my 10 second animation is going to take place.

For comparison, here's a screenshot of the same place from the opening sequence in Fallout 1.

10 Second Cutscene Animation - The Idea and Inspiration

For my ten second cutscene animation I have chosen Fallout. What I will be doing is continuing the first cutscene at the beginning of the game when you are sent out of Vault 13 into the wasteland, tasked with finding a Water Chip to replace the broken one.

Here's the cutscene from the game itself

This cutscene will have been created sometime during 1997 when the game was first released. My animation will follow this, showing the protagonist, the Vault Dweller, walking through the opening and the vault door closing. I also expect I will be adding some sound affects, rats squeaking, the groan of the metal vault door closing and the blaring sirens that accompany the opening of vault doors. I have many references for how the entire scene looks, from the in-game location to other cutscenes throughout the game.