1. Proposal
1
Centre Name and Number:
York College 48357
Student Name and Number:
Joseph Duffy 35599
Project proposal title and date:
“Infinite Annihilation X” - March 26th March 2019 > June 2019
Main area of activity:
Video Game/Print
Audience:
For my FMP I believe my target audience will be in the teenage to young adult range, from about
15 to 26, as the RPG elements would be difficult to engage a much younger person with the
narrative style and far too confusing for an older person, with the multiple options for a fight,
especially the elderly.
I would say the game has a slight lean toward the male demographic as there is a more Fantasy
orientated theme which stereo-typically fascinates boys more, with the mythical beasts and battling
emphasis in this specific scenario. However, I believe that all genders can appreciate the game
and girls can look up to the females of the party, of which the leader is, so they feel like they can
be leaders themselves.
In terms of the NRS Grades, I would assume that most people who can comfortably afford leisure
items like video games would fall under the classes between A for the very rich to the C1 who
would probably be expected a wage high enough to buy these items occasionally. The quantity of
people in the ABC1 Grade is just above the mean in percentage of the entire NRS system
meaning the audience would be broad enough to accommodate.
From my analysis of the Psychographics I can assume that Belongers would respond well to the
group dynamic of the cast, appreciating the bonds shown through the dialogue. I also suspect that
Achievers and Need Driven people would get a lot out of the game with similar ambitions to be as
strong and rich as possible, so they can complete the game with little to no struggle.
As for Geodemographics, from my research it appears RPGs have a substantial popularity in their
home of origin, that being Japan. However certain games like Pokémon have hit the main stream
beyond Japan, with the Western audience finding appeal in the simple game mechanics and
unique characters.
The main use of RPGs, and video games in general, is to give the player escapism from their
personal lives, allowing themselves to be enveloped in the story and characters they play and
therefore are a part of. This escape allows the player to enjoy the story as they can forget about
any troubles they have and hope that the characters have enough personality to keep the player
interested in their progression in the game’s story.
Rationale:
The first project we took part in at the start of the year was a practise animation task before the Irn-
Bru adver-game. This introduced me to the use of alternating layers between slides on Photoshop,
so the figure ran through an environment without having to create entirely new layers of the scene
for every slide. The Irn-Bru animation incorporated a more direct game aspect with collectables
and an end goal. I also implemented an audial queue into the game when collecting items, adding
a layer of depth in the sound department that I hadn’t done before. I hope to improve upon my
music by having a better flow that doesn’t divulge in repeating often and enhance my ability to
understand what layers I need for each slide to make the movement fluent.
The next project was Print where we had to design a magazine double-page spread as well as its
cover. This project taught me to pre-visualise the pages, so I could layout the information without
disrupting the design throughout. I also had to think of unique ways to give a flare to the look
without drowning out the focus of the writing. I used my already partly made rotoscope for the
cover; building off the original design in my own way and used assets from the subject I chose to
make a collage. These lessons will be useful for my FMP when it comes to the design of the game
as I will have to pre-visualise, with drawings, it will appear as well as how I want my box art to be
made to be informative and appealing to the eyes.
My Music Video project will be useful as in the product I had to create a detailed plan of how and
where I was going to produce the video so when I was in production, the process was fairly
efficient. I also thought about how the music correlated to a specific scene. These skills will be
advantageous in the FMP as I can make a clear plan to follow so I can keep well in time, and make
2. Proposal
2
my music fit a certain part of the scene to add more atmosphere to the setting.
The final project we did was Video Game. This project has had the most influence in my FMP as
the main premise of the Video Game animation is being carried onto my final piece, being
developed further in both story and visuals at least. The project has taught me about how I should
approach animation, creating layers together so I can see how every part will work together as
they move instead of adding on each new slide and therefore having to look back to see how I did
the same object before. I hope to advance this efficiency by perhaps creating fewer; more detailed
layers so that I don’t have to make sure I didn’t miss any layer change. I also incorporated voices
into the scene, injecting the characters with more personality, which I hope to convey in this project
as well so the player can feel more attachment to the heroes they control.
Project Concept:
The concept for my FMP is Video Game, more precisely an RPG (Role-Playing Game) and will be
produced on Photoshop. The game will hopefully follow a more 16-Bit style, a definite
enhancement over its predecessor and include the overworld segment and a more elaborate
battle, which I plan on producing with the pencil tool creating block drawn art. I plan on using the
same basic setting of the fiery cavern as seen in the original, lifting and improving ideas I enjoyed
from the original but hopefully making the appearance of the area far different to show this
version’s uniqueness. To help me make the flow of liquid like water or lava I will review stages
from games on the SNES and Mega Drive so to get a clearer understanding of flow in pixels. I
might add some more story elements in the environment depending on how I can plan the design,
with the elements and colours consistently through the overworld, and change the perspective to
better match the improved visuals if possible. I will have to research how games blend colours in
their backgrounds and if older games ever change the camera angle mid-movement. I could do
this by having the cavern change, as it gets closer to the enemy who is changing the ecosystem of
the cave. For the battle sequence I want to at least do a couple of attacks and at best have the
defeat of the enemy but as I learned from the previous project I should prepare for the worst and
hope for the best. I want to use the same characters as I really enjoy their appearance I would like
to improve the pixel look of the individuals, especially in their movement in the overworld of which I
will have to analyse the how people’s bodies move naturally while walking so the characters in
game don’t stutter. I am thinking of adding an animal companion to further separate the game from
its more retro precursor but that depends on how they will look in game alongside their human
counterparts, with the equivalent size being a large point of contention. The Hydragon will also
make another appearance with an improved model, perhaps having dialogue of its own but with
less voice and more roar! I want to make the music thematic to the location as I tried with the first
go around, hopefully improving upon it with a longer piece that takes a while to repeat any part, so
the music doesn’t get frustratingly repetitive. I will have to listen to different genres of video game
music, how they match their part of the game and what they do to keep the player interested in the
audio.
How will the project be evaluated and reviewed?:
I plan to evaluate my work by using Blogger to update my review of the week work and how I feel
about the overall productivity throughout the process. These weekly descriptions will support my
future work as I can reflect on aspects of each previous project that I thought could have used
more work, so I know what I should focus on in the present project. At the end of the project we will
complete an Evaluation PowerPoint, understanding the positives and negatives of each part of the
project. This further develops the Blogger posts support as I can have a fuller look at the overall
outcome to spot anything that needs improving.
3. Proposal
3
Bibliography:
1. Joe Duffy (2019) Target Audience Research Survey (conducted on 30th Mar 2019)
2. Isobel Duffy (2019) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 30th Mar 2019)
3. Louise Duffy (2019) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 30th Mar 2019)
4. Steven Duffy (2019) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 30th Mar 2019)
5. Matt Makes Games Inc. (2017) Celeste My Nintendo Switch via eShop (last played 14th
Mar 2019)
6. Toby Fox (2018) Deltarune My Steam Account via PC (last played 19th Mar 2019)
7. ATLUS, P Studio (2016). Persona 5 Available: https://atlus.com/persona5/home.html (last
accessed on 31st March 2019)
8. Anon (2017) The Legend of Zelda Cover Available:
http://www.thecoverproject.net/view.php?cover_id=15979 (last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
Available: https://kotaku.com/20-years-later-few-nintendo-games-have-lived-up-to-sup-
1763855052 (last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
9. Brownie Brown/HAL Laboratory (2006) Mother 3 Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_3 (last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
10. Christian Whitehead/Headcannon/PagodaWest Games/SEGA (2017) Sonic Mania Plus
Available: https://www.sega.com/games/sonicmania (last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
11. Chunsoft (1986) Dragon Quest Available:
https://dragonquest.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Quest_(game) (last accessed 31st Mar
2019)
12. HAL Laboratory (1994). EarthBound Available:
https://earthbound.fandom.com/wiki/EarthBound (last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
13. Intelligent Games (Developer) Kat Bailey (Blogger/Editor) Fire Emblem: The Blazing
Blade/USGamer (2003/2018) Available: https://www.usgamer.net/articles/fire-emblem-gba-
blazing-sword-fe7-anniversary-retrospective (last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
14. Mark Savage (2019) 6 Music's History of Video Game Music Available:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0002t4b (last listened 24th Mar 2019)
15. Monolith Soft (2010) Xenoblade Chronicles Available:
https://xenoblade.fandom.com/wiki/Xenoblade_Chronicles (last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
16. Shigeru Miyamoto/Nintendo (2011) The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Japan: Dark
Horse p276
17. Square (1995) Chrono Trigger Available:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/613830/CHRONO_TRIGGER/ (last accessed 31st
Mar 2019)
18. Square Enix (1997) Final Fantasy VII Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII (last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
19. Squaresoft/Jason Schreier (1996/2016) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
20. Toby Fox (2015) Undertale Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycsnBIX8wTU
(last accessed 31st Mar 2019)
4. Proposal
4
Week Tasks to be Completed: Specific Tasks
1 Initial Ideas and Proposal My Initial Reaction
My pre-planning for the project
My type of mind set for production
Techniques I want to improve for the
project
Worries I want to change
o Mood Board/Mind Map Analysis
Creating mood boards to show different
ideas
Analyse why the themes are successful
Describe why I will use the themes in my
product
Use mind maps to layout many ideas
relating to a general topic
How why ideas would enhance product
o Key Influences
Write about what I like in an example
Narrative/Visuals/Audio
How I will put the influence into the
product
o Final Idea
State the final idea and what ideas led to it
My Proposal
Create a working title for my game
Write the area of activity I will do my
project in
o Audience
Describe general demographic
Use parts of games design to choose
specific audience
Use NRS Grades to work out what group
would buy it
Analyse the game’s audience through
psychographics
Write about the game’s usefulness to an
audience
o Rationale
Describe what skills I learned in previous
projects
Talk about each skill’s usefulness in the
current project
o Project Concept
Describe the visual appearance of the
game
Describe the narrative and how the
camera will be affected by the movement
Write about researching other games to
improve technical skill
Tell about what enhancements will be
made over the original
o Evaluation Plans
Describe the different ways to evaluate via
Blogger and PowerPoint
5. Proposal
5
2 Research Product Research
Pick out four products relating to my project
Describe how they appeal to the target
audience
Use images to show what I am describing
Write about how the design and music
support the product
Describe what I like about the product
Detail what I think I will use in my piece
Subject Research
Pick three subjects relating to my project
Research the key points of history with the
subject
Relate historic objects or art to my writing
Describe the background information on the
subject
Write its link to my work briefly
3 Research Production Experiment
Practise animation skills for production
Plan an idea relating to animation
Make the experiment all the way through
Reflect on the process and its usefulness in
influencing the final product
Evaluate the product in its positives and
negatives
Audience Research
Research the most common consumer of the
general product to produce an audience
profile
Make a questionnaire to ask family and
possibly people at College for specific
answers on product
Possibly perform interviews for more
opinionated answers
Try to find people of target demographic to fit
research
Analyse answers given and any possible
correlation
4 Pre-production & Planning Pre-Production & Planning
List out all the tasks I need to do before
commencing production
o Risk Assessment/Contingency Plan
Analyse any possible human risk via
equipment, environment etc.
Take action to decrease possible harm
Look at possible technical problems from
used technology
Use multiple options to shrink problems
o Sound Effect/Music List
Look through story to analyse necessary
music types and sound effects
Choose what website/programme to use to
produce the sounds
o Visual Planning
Plan out a storyboard to visualise the game
6. Proposal
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Draw out each frame to give a basic idea of
how the game will look
Draw out the location and characters to base
their design off in production
Style Sheet - Find different colour schemes to
match the landscape and characters
Describe why I chose the specific colours for
each part
o Production Schedule
Set out the days of the four weeks
Write out what I plan to do on each
day, so I know what I should do at a
specific point in time
Update to fit the moment so I clearly
understand
5 Production Creating Overworld
Use drawing to set out base layers of
overworld
Create multiple versions of layers to move
through slides
Make sure each part has consistency
Character Motion
Make accurate character proportions to world
Begin making different stages of motion for
walking cycle
Reflection
Depending on production pace, daily or
weekly reflection on production
The positives and negatives about the
production and why
What I plan to do for later days and my
thoughts on the process so far
6 Production Character Motion
Complete walking (maybe running) animation for
all characters
Add dialogue boxes for later sound to be added
Make sure animation runs smoothly
Fix any issues that could arise once implemented
with overworld
Battle Sequence
Make transition area between world and fight
Create monster model for interaction
Perhaps create profile of monster for text scroll
Create base background of battle sequence
Reflection
Depending on production pace, daily or weekly
reflection on production
The positives and negatives about the
production and why
What I plan to do for later days and my
thoughts on the process so far
7 Production Battle Sequence
o Background
7. Proposal
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Maybe add a few alternating parts of the
background e.g. Jewels, lava etc.
Make sure there is space for character
models
o Character Movement
Put characters in proportionate to
background
Add movement to idle characters
Make attack movement and hit animation
o UI Enhancements
Add HP, Options etc. to scenario for
depth
Add layers for selecting different options
Last Animation Parts
Make sure world and fight flow into each
other
End sequence to fight
Clean up pacing or faulty looking parts
8 Production Audio Implementation
Create music and sound effects for the
animation
Maybe create speech using my speech and a
voice modifier
Correctly proportional the length of the noise
with the visuals
Cover Creation
Analyse cover arts for inspiration
Make art to scan for cover
Add usual cover aspects e.g. barcode, console
name, age rating etc.
Write blurb for back cover
Take screen shots of game to put on back
Put copyrights, controller type etc.
Complete the Product
Post animation on YouTube
Put video with cover on Blogger and post
9 Evaluation Evaluate PowerPoints
Go in depth what I thought I could improve on
Describe the positives and negatives of my
writing
Evaluate Final Products
Describe in depth what I could improve on
Go on the positives and negatives of the
production