tiafernandes

This project felt like quite a step up from my previous work. We were given a reference image of a vintage telephone that we had to recreate in Maya. I remember being shocked at first that the phone was so complex, and it took me a long time to adjust to having to pay attention to so many details, and to figure out how each tool worked in order to warp shapes enough to get the right effect.

I started blocking out the main body of the phone before moving up to the intricacies of the top part, for which I was required to learn how to use tools like 'flare' on cylinders and the like. Another difficult part was bridging the gaps between the dips in the dial on the phone after using the 'duplicate special' function to create each dip.


I am overall fairly satisfied with the outcome of this task. It felt impossible at first, so actually completing it was pleasing. I'm also fairly happy with how it looks, and I feel like I did a good job of modelling the details in the top of the phone. The only thing I feel could use a little more work is the cord as it is twisted in an unusual way, however I feel like I will improve in manipulating the model with practice.

One example of ludonarrative harmony in games can be found in the DS game 999 (Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors). 999's plot follows Junpei and eight other participants in a life-or-death Nonary Game, where the objective is to 'find a way out' of the ship they are trapped on. The situation involves solving lots of puzzles and piecing together aspects of the story to proceed through obstacles set by the anonymous 'Zero' who set up the game.

The gameplay in 999 is divided up into two sections, one visual novel-style Story mode where the player, Junpei, may observe the situation, talk to other playable characters and make decisions regarding the plot's progression; this can push the game into one of six different endings. The other aspect of the game, potentially the one that fits with the story more, is similar to escape-the-room style games, where the player must move around a room (they are able to scroll through the environment and investigate different areas) and find objects and complete puzzles to help them escape.

I feel that this is a suitable example of ludonarrative harmony in games, as the game would be much less effective if the puzzle and escape-the-room sections were omitted. The addition of these aspects of gameplay allows the player to experience the pressure and frustration that the characters feel within the story. Even the fact that there are different endings in the game makes much more sense when the player reaches the finale, as the game's plot involves perception of different routes in the future in order to find the one 'true' route that solves a certain character's objective.