In the following pages, I will create a basic interactive scene, using photographs taken with a cheap digital camera (£40). The graphical content of the Dark Fall games is created from scratch using a 3D Content creator (see the “Building Worlds” chapter) rather than use photographs. This was essential as there were no deserted railway stations or lighthouses available for me to explore, photograph and turn into games :-).
My hope is that more people will think about creating an adventure title, whether it be a small demo of your bedroom or an exploration of a local feature (anything from a natural beauty spot to an abandoned shoe factory, if the player doesn’t know it personally then there will always be an element of exploration).
Examples of games made using photographic imagery include :
The X-Files Game
Developed by : Fox Interactive
Published by : Fox Interactive
Released : Summer 1998
This game is presented in three forms : static photographs, short ‘looped’ video sequences and full motion video. Although I personally find the quality of some of the images blurry (filmed using a DV cam to mimic the look of the show) the result is an immersive experience in which you direct an episode of the series through your own actions. Being able to ‘visit’ real locations was fabulous, with no limits on your field of view.
Byzantine : The Betrayal
Developed by : The Discovery Channel
Published by : The Discovery Channel
Releasd : 1997
Here is an extract from an online review of this title : The present day scenes and live action videos were all shot on location in Istanbul and are absolutely stunning: as you explore you feel as if you really are visiting the beautiful mosques, palaces and museums. That realism, along with the 1st person perspective, creates an immersive experience and a very real sense of personal danger as you try to discover what's happening and whom you can trust.
Mr. Bills Adventure Land
This title also includes fictional 3D content, but it is the real world settings that impress.
XXv : The Displacement
Developed by : XXv Productions
Published by : Not published
Released : Completed 1998
This was the first XXv title. I was studying Digital Arts at the time, and wanted to try and create an adventure game. Although not commercially available, the game was popular with those who played it. In particular, the graphical content was highly regarded. Most commenting that it was great to explore real settings rather than fictional ones.
I would estimate that about 400 photographs were used (hence the need for a digital camera!), and the whole project took approximately 3 months to complete....
More information about this game is available here.
Wish List :
1 : Digital camera
2 : A multimedia composer / package (or at least a web browser, like Internet Explorer).
3 : Image editing software, like Corel Photopaint, PaintShopPro or PhotoShop.
Digital Cameras that can take images at a resolution of 640x480 or above (practically all do now) are suitable for acquiring game images. Using a conventional camera would run up a huge developing bill, as you could need hundreds of photographs.
Multimedia packages range from the super expensive industry leaders (like Macromedia’s Director) to smaller, cheaper basic presentation tools like “Illuminatus”, “MP3 Multimedia Maker” and “Dazzler”.
Clickteam also publish a possible 'adventure maker', in the form of MultimediaFusion (they also publish a very useful install maker too).
There are also some excellent free or low price options such as Sludge, Agast or AGI which are specifically created for adventure game production. The differences between these programs are too comprehensive to list here, so I recommend Adventure Developers for further information. Here you will find useful facts about the software and examples of games created with them.
Photo editing software such as Corel, Photoshop or the cheaper (but just as effective) PaintShopPro and others are often lowcost (or even free) alternatives. Try freewareweb.com for various kinds of software, on my last visit to this site the downloads were organised into categories, which is helpful.
