Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Developed Crysis Wars Environment

Navigation Map:
The bridge is a golden ribbon which weaves between the space of the Yosemite Valley in two parts. One part of the fluid ribbon connects Helen Keller's space to an elevator which travels to the valley floor. It leads to a mysterious deep tunnel, which is an extension of the bridge. The stark change in surroundings from a vast open space to one of claustrophobia captures the abrupt change Keller had undergone when she suddenly became blind and deaf. The second part of the bridge connects Miranda Kerr's space from the other side of the valley to an elevator which travels to the valley floor. This free flowing part of the bridge can also function as a runway.

Helen Keller's space is inspired by the Japanese folded paper crane. During her lifetime, "Keller had made several trips to Japan and became a favourite amongst the Japanese people." The paper crane yields cultural symbolism and the story of the thousand folded paper cranes emphasises the hope Keller held onto throughout her lifetime. In Keller's space, the wings of the crane portray motion, conveying Keller's liveliness and spirit in voicing her views on countless social issues.

Miranda Kerr's glass elevator is situated on an isolated cliff. Before she wishes to travel to the lower valley floor, she can practice Zen meditation on the grounded transparent lift. At times, the transparent lift challenges Miranda Kerr's composure, yet at times it may elevate her mind, bringing her a sense of freedom and release from the pressures of society.

Helen Keller's elevator is located at the end of the bent tunnel. This open lift allows her to sense the change in surroundings as the chill of onshore winds and smells of rocks intensifies as she approaches nearer to the valley floor.

The 'dining table' is represented by the speedboat which takes Miranda Kerr and Helen Keller through the narrow interval within the valley. Even when the clients are having their lunch, they are interacting with the environment. The river leads to a massive waterfall, emphasizing nature's power and beauty.

Crysis Wars FileFront Uploads

Objects Folder:
http://www.filefront.com/16756241/z3330060_Objects.zip
Levels Folder:http://www.filefront.com/16756397/z3330060_levels.rar

Instructions for operating the elevators

Miranda Kerr's Lift
from the cliff, press 'j' then 'k' to travel down to the valley floor.
from the valley floor, press 'l' then 'o' to return to the cliff on top of the valley.

Helen Keller's Lift
from the cliff, press 't' then y to travel down to the valley floor.
from the valley floor, press 'u' then 'h' to return to the cliff on top of the valley.

Instructions for operating the speedboat in the river

Press 'f' to board the boat.
Use the same direction keys (w,a,s,d) as you use for navigating the terrain, and press two keys at the same time to travel diagonally, ie. to move diagonally forward, press 'a' and 'w' simultaneously.
Press 'f' to leave the boat.
Press 'F1' to switch between the 1st and 3rd person perspective.

NOTE: If, in any case there are any issues or questions linked to the files or operation of lifts, please post a comment on this post.

Sketchup Models uploaded to Google Warehouse

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?viewer=00864815862695746192&scoring=m

Helen Keller's Space: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=48e23cf530c56579174bf422eb4338e9
Miranda Kerr's Space: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=80abd8b47d648afb174bf422eb4338e9
Bridge: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=56ad185f10ff8ead174bf422eb4338e9
Miranda Kerr's Elevator: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=80abd8b47d648afb174bf422eb4338e9
Helen Keller's Elevator: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=850811a7b54801bb174bf422eb4338e9

Draft Crysis Wars Environment

Initial drawing

The images below show my experimentations with various tools of the Cryis Sandbox editor, applying them in specific areas of my environment.

Experimentation with voxel objects to create caves
Use of an entity to create a flowing river stream.
Addition of clouds in the sky.
Application of grainy sandy texture to the entire terrain to add realism.
Application of a rocky texture to some areas of the terrain using layer painter.
Inserting water particles to create waterfalls,
Inserting a speedboat vehicle.
Inserting a moving entity to create a lift.

In a section of the video below, (at 5:35 onwards) Olafur Eliasson interestingly describes how waterfalls in valleys (in his case these are urban valleys) can help us understand space through the fourth dimension of time. I have tried to develop this idea in this experiment via the contrast between the large waterfall at the end of the river and the small waterfalls along the shore to emphasise the overall height and size of the valley.

Monday, June 14, 2010