-reactions, ideas, mood boards, mind maps, key influences,schedule.

1. Initial Plans
Gemma Nicholls

2. Initial reaction
My emotions toward the FMP are excitement and nervousness because I am fully in control
of something that I want to create. I’m nervous about not adding in enough detail/ not
going it to enough detail when describing and talking about some thing. But i'm happy that
I can use my other project and grades as a stepping stone for knowing what I can put if I get
stuck in stead of waffling to fill a page. I can also ask others for their opinion on what I could
also put so I add as much detail as possible.
For my FMP I had a few ideas at what I wanted to do/create but the only solid thing that I
wanted to make sure I included into the project was animation as I enjoyed it a lot during
previous projects. With that in mind I looked over my pervious projects and grades and
decided to create another videogame with better animation as I achieved the highest
grades in that project compared to the others. This was good as I new what path I would
generally go down completing the project.
To make sure I stay on schedule I am going to complete work at home in my free time as
well as at school. This helps me go into more detail, as well as keeps my stress lower as I
know that if I cant complete something during the school day as I want to add more detail
to it I know I can complete it at home.

3. Pre-proposal
• Tell me in no more than 30 words your initial thoughts about your FMP? E.g. what would you like to do, etc…
My thoughts towards the project were I wanted it on a topic that I enjoyed over the first year. What came to mind where the
videogame project and the Advergame project.
• Why have you chosen this as your potential project?
I chose to do a videogame project containing animations as I enjoyed animating the separate pieces (characters, backgrounds,
expressions, props) and making them flow together. I also like how I can also use different skills like audio to make the animation
feel like gameplay.
• Who is the project for? Think about the intended audience…basically, what’s the point of it/what is it’s purpose?
My project target audience will be teenagers to young adults (15-24). This is because I am in this age range I also have many
people around me with in this range so it is easier to get feed back.
• What about your project makes it personal and important to you?
This project is personal to me because I have grown up with videogames in my family since a young age because of my older
siblings. I have always admired the different challenges the characters overcome (as it is things you can not do in real life) also the
various art /graphic styles where mostly beautiful and intriguing. Videogames are important to me because I have nice/ fun
memories of watching them, my mother also enjoyed playing games when I was younger and we'd celebrate after if the levels
were hard.
• Describe the tone/mood/style of your potential product[s] [which techniques/characteristics are you employing?]
I want to create a story-based adventure platformer videogame, with a top over view. I also want to use the general idea of dark
vs. light and turn it in to an in-depth game where the player/watcher gets invested into the story.
I want to also extra products like posters as games are usually advertised to promote them.
• Why have you decided to work in this style/genre?
I have decided to work in this genre as I completed something similar in my previous videogame project. I enjoyed making an
animating all the components and with my FMP I can improve and create more character and levels in a more in-depth game. I
decided to work in the style of an adventure game as the game style generally has a backstory for the characters and why you are
in the situation.

4. Skills Audit
Name Gemma Nicholls
Which is your
area of interest
for your FMP?
I am interested in basing my FMP around
animation. I am also interested in music/
audio and sound effects to give things
different emotions.
If you had to
choose right now,
what would you
make?
Provide some
basic details on
the project, style,
format, etc.
Right now I would choose to create an
animated section of a video game that
includes different levels and various
sound effects. Possibly also some print
advertisement.
I would make another platform type
game as in my current videogame project
I enjoy that I can animate more different
sections and the style I would go for I a
hand drawn. This is because I like to
sketch the characters and backgrounds
and this suits me better than an 8-bit
style because I can add more detail.
What production
techniques most
interest you?
Animation, film, still image
What are your
inspirations for
your project?
My inspiration for this project is different
videogames; limbo, Gris, my videogame
project,
I am good
at this
I am OK at
this
I am not
confident
Joining in discussions /
Working in a group /
Influencing others /
Accepting the opinions of others /
Learning from others /
Knowing my roles and
responsibilities
/
Analysing facts /
Understanding why things go
wrong
/
Finding solutions /
Working to the requirements of a
brief
/
Meeting deadlines /
Getting to class on time /
Being responsible for my
coursework
/
Working productively in class /
Not using my mobile phone in
class
/
Asking questions /
Listening to others /
Being accurate with spelling,
punctuation and grammar
/
Speaking to a group /
Communicating my ideas and
concepts for production
/
Speaking formally and informally
in appropriate situations
/
Writing clearly /
Using computers to file and store
information
/
Using Adobe Premiere /
Using Adobe Photoshop /
Using basic computer packages
like Microsoft Word and Excel
/
Team Working
Problem Solving
Self- Management
Communication and
Literacy
Application of IT

5. Potential ideas: mind map
Vehicle simulation
videogames
Action
Platform games
Shooter games
Fighting games
Beat 'em up games
Stealth game
Survival games
Rhythm games
Action-adventure
Survival horror
Adventure
Text adventures Graphic adventures
Visual novels
Interactive movie
Real-time 3D adventures
Role-playingAction RPG
MMORPG
Tactical RPG
Sandbox RPG
First-person
party-based RPG
Fantasy
Simulation
Construction and
management
simulation
Life simulation
Strategy
Artillery game
Real-time
strategy (RTS)
Real-time
tactics (RTT)Multiplayer online
battle arena (MOBA)
Tower defense
Turn-based
strategy (TBS)
Turn-based
tactics (TBT)
Wargame
Grand strategy
wargame
Sports
Racing
Sports game
Competitive
Sports-based fighting
Other notable genres
Party game
MMO
Programming game
Trivia game
Board game
or card gameLogic game
Video game genres
Advergame
Art game
Casual game
religious game
Educational game
Esports
Exergame
Personalized game
Serious game
Casual games

6. Initial ideas: mind map
Platformer game
Why I chose
Types of Platformer games I like
I chose to create a Platformer
because I they one of the games I
have the fondest memories of
playing. This is a personal choice
but I also have experience playing
these types of games.
I enjoy platformers with a
story line element, so the
player can get invested
and convey the emotions
that were designed to be
felt by the developers
Unlike rage some inducing games that
have the player constantly attached to
the game, platfromers generally have
levels so you can stop and have a
break and feel accomplished by
completing a section
Little big planet
limbo Super Mario brothers
Binding of Isaac
Gris
darklings
Ratchet and clank
Bubble bobble Spyro
Crash bandicoot
Kirby
Platformers have a range
of different styles from
realistic to 8-bit. I want to
experiment and animate in
different types of art styles
that I enjoy playing in.
sonic

7. Character ideas: mind map
Characters
MonstersPlayers
Anatomy
Human
Hand drawn/ created
Shapes Consistent
Anatomy
Human
Zombies
Consistency
Slimes /blob creatures
Circles
Rectangles
Squares
Costumes
Created /hand drawn
Hidden
Colours Monochrome
Grey scale
Black and white
Warrior
Ninja
Plain
Knight
dark
bright
Colourful Water colour
Block colour
Pastel
harmonic
cold
warm
Textures/ features
Feathers
Smooth
Spiky Shapes
Square
Triangular
Fur

8. Mood Board: characters

9. Mood Board Analysis: character
How does your mood board inspire your project?
My character mood board inspires different appearances my game characters can take form as.
The mood board mainly consists of repetitive monochrome characters, with a few images that
use muted and pastel colours. 2-dimentional and 3-dimentional characters are both on the mood
board to explore the different dimensions. However with the time frame I have to create my
products 2- dimensional character are easier/faster to produce.
Some of the art style from the mood board are characters with various body types. Some looking
human-like while others use different shapes and others take irregular shapes. The style some of
the images/ screen shots they are created in is watercolour based, layered grey scale, block
colour black and contrasting black and white colours.
How will your mood board influence your final product?
This mood board will influence my main character(s) appearances. This meaning the shape, style,
mood and colour pallet I choose to make my main character around. Also this will inspire the
creation of monster(s) appearances. The tone, mood and style from the mood board will help me
decide the final monster(s) look.

10. Background ideas: mind map
backgrounds
textures props
terrain
colours
rubble
grass
trees
dirt
stone
leaves
trees
grass
jungle
cavernsOut of space
marshland
tundraheaven
hell
Different dimensions
animals
City streets
buildings
houses
Lamp posts
birds
Unidentifiable creatures
monochrome
pastel
Water colour
Block colours
dark
light
glass
bricks
rocks
colourfulharmonic
contrasting
mountains

11. Mood Board: backgrounds

12. Mood Board Analysis: background
How does your mood board inspire your project?
The mood board inspires the art style of the background for my videogame project. All of the
images and screen shots show art styles that contain lots of layers and depth with harmonious
colours. Some images use solid colours and shading while others use a watercolour art style that
has different colours and shades blending together. There is a repetition of black, greys, whites an
blues with reds and purples used less often.
Outside areas like Forests and mountains/hill areas are the most frequent terrains amongst the
images. Th mood board inspires different locations for my videogame to take place in and types
of obstacles and props that I can include to keep the appearance interesting. For example rubble
and stumps to jump over and birds and insects to look at and make the background more natural.
How will your mood board influence your final product?
The mood board will influence my games background by the visual appearance of the art style
and terrain. Along with what will appear, what will become an obstacle and how the audience
views the game. As all the images view the game from a side view.

13. Mood board: text/fonts

14. Mood Board Analysis
How does your mood board inspire your project?
The text/font on my mood board inspires different type of moods and emotions that I can
implement into my videogame. My favourite styles are the futuristic and cryptic fonts because
they inspire mystery and the unknown. They are noticeable as letters from the alphabet.
However, they don’t keep the standard form like either texts e.g. comic sans. Other fonts/texts
that are on my mood board have a hand written style. I chose these fonts because I like how they
feel more familiar and personal than block fonts.
Most of the fonts on the mood board are in cap lock from, this is because it is easier to read and
understand. This is especially the case with the non standard lettering. The majority of the fonts
are coloured in black And white with a few uncommon colourful texts. This inspires me to play
around with the text colours when creating my products.
How will your mood board influence your final product?
The text/fonts will influence my final product as it changes how people view and feel the
products. The mood board influences what style, spacing and is it in cap lock form. Also the
mood board influences me to play around with the colour(s) to create the emotions I want to
convey.

15. Initial ideas: side product
• Different ideas for side products to go with an animated videogame:
• Trailer
• Poster
• Pamphlet
• Magazine page(s)
Side products are usually created to advertise and inform audiences about products
that are about to hit the market. It also lets the company who created the product
become more known if the product becomes really popular, so the product is
advertised as the best and needed. This allows the product to become known and
wanted to the demographic their targeting .

16. Initial ideas: side product poster
poster
backgrounds
colours
Emotions to convey
Characters
View
monochrome
dark
light
colourful
Monsters
Main character(s)
Side character Above(sky view)
below
Side view
Over the shoulder
From the
character(s) eyes
Outside perspective
boss minions
Happiness
depressed
angry
sad
tired
confused
desperate
contrasting
harmonicwarm
cold
mpc
desert
terrain
jungle
cavernsOut of space
marshland
tundra
heaven
hell
Different dimensions
City streets
buildings
mountains
block

17. Final ideas
• Video game
My final videogame idea is a single/multiplayer action-adventure platfromer, with a storyline that
the game follows. The style of the background and characters will be hand drawn and organic.
The colour pallet will consist of dark colours mainly black with a contrasting lighter colours
(whites).Mood and emotions of the videogame will follow the storyline of the game by a small
cut scene to introduce the characters.
• Poster
I chose to create a poster as a side product because they are very common in gaming magazines
when company's release a new game. I also like the idea of creating some of the poster art in
Photoshop.
My final poster idea is a portrait A4 size that would fit inside a magazine but is also sizable to fit in
different sizes like A2. The colour pallet is going to stay the same as the videogame. Which would
be of dark colours mainly black with a contrasting lighter colours (whites). The emotions and
mood I want the poster to convey is mystery, unknown and cryptic. This is because I want people
to want to play the game out of curiosity and not think is a common platfromer.

18. Key Influences
• Playdead games
Are a independent game development company. They have only created 2 games so
far but have high quality animation/visuals and sound effects. They are good at pulling
out the audiences emotions.
The games limbo and inside influence me as they know how to get the players
absorbed in both attention and emotions. That is something I want to try and create
quality over quantity. The sound effects and music match the setting and the tone
perfectly to create a amazing atmosphere. I also want to make sure my games sound
effects and music suits/creates an atmosphere I want.
https://pl
aydead.c
om/

19. Key Influences
• Nomada studio/ Conrad Roset
Nomada studio is a new videogame development company. Filled with experienced
developers and amazing artists/ illustrators. Conrad Roset featured some of his art
works in their debut game Gris.
The art created by Conrad for the videogame Gris influences me to be more
experimental with where and how I put colour down on the page. I think the art style
is really pretty and I love the mixed medias he uses to create the striking pictures. The
Gris game especially influences me as I am creating a videogame animation and I was
to make my animation look visually appealing to get audiences to want to play the
game.
https://www.conr
adroset.com/portf
olio

20. Key Influences
• Mildmania
Mildmania is a game development studio that mainly focuses on mobile apps. They
have created different types of games from a puzzle games to and adventure games.
The games created by this development studio use many different styles. The game
darkling is the most influential towards my videogame as the colour pallet is like
something I want to create for my game. Also the character and creatures give me a
lot of inspiration for creating my own sprites.
http://mildmania.com/home

21. schedule
WEEK OVERALL PLAN SPECIFIC TASKS
1 Initial Plans and Proposal • Mood boards, mind maps and analysis, key influences.
• Plan for my own game, audience , concept, rational and evaluation.
2 Research • Existing products and analysis
• Secondary and primary research
3 • Research • Subject research
• Experiments
• bibliography
4 • Pre-Production • Style sheet/visual planning
• Sound effect/music list, budget
• Storyboard/scene plan, action plan
• Health and safety, Contingency plan
5 Production  Create all the characters, character text/ movements, monsters/ minions.
 Product reflection
6 Production  Create all the backgrounds and different levels that the character will appear on
 Create any needed props
7 Production  Create anything else needing
 Start to animate to make a coherent videogame.
 Product reflection
8 Production • Secondary product creation (poster)
• Text selection, photo creation
9 Evaluation • Research, planning, time management
• Technical Qualities, Aesthetic Qualities, Audience Appeal
• Peer Feedback, Peer Feedback Summary