The Kobalt Kiwii: FMP

This past week I have had some great feedback and critique on the project. Unfortunately this all points to something I was expecting but not hoping for... Start the display level again.

This is not as big a deal as it seems like and it will definitely benefit me in the long run. The pace has (touch wood) ramped up to a good level of productivity and with Elliott's tools (below) building environments and display levels shouldn't take long at all. The thing I'm worried about is then refining, adjusting and finishing the new environment to a state of polish that I'm happy with but... third time lucky!

First paintover

Current state of the environment

Horrible, noisey paintover, I can do better

Jolyon Webb who lectured at DMU a bit last year came to see us from Natural Motion and gave Elliott and I both a lot of critique and valuable thinking points.

Overall Critique:
- The entire environment doesn't feel consistent and grounded.
- Scale is difficult to determine
- The clutter will sell the scale of the near by stuff but the distance vista needs a scale indicator
- Cliff detail and adjusting the atmospheric fog is going to be important.
- Cliff assets aren't working, look at West Bay cliffs (colossal, strata to help sell scale)
- Reference Victorian Harbours for the next iteration of the environment. (Chatham docks)
- More interesting elements with the pipes, Walkways? Siphoning/hacking into pipes?
- Lighting is flat and uninteresting.

I have a couple of ideas for a different layout. After being told to look at Victorian harbours and Chatham docks I found a couple of interesting images that could potentially take advantage of the factory elements I have made. I have also been thinking for a while about creating a domestic street scene with the road being taken over by the slum buildings and the vista elements visable through tarpaulin and cables above the player.