Week Summary

On Monday, I started the final inventory menu screen for the art test. The game menu is designed for PC. I kept the theme of pirate. I decided to go with this theme because I like the style and I had in mind the new game coming out in March for Xbox one called ‘Sea of thieves’. I knew for the background of this piece I wanted to go with a map. I did find one of google images that fit the style I wanted to go for. 

When I thought of a pirate themed I thought of wood, like decking on a ship or wooden shelfs. I decided to create a border with an image of a plank of wood. From that I edited the wood using layer styles such as different blending options and shadows. To do this piece I got icons and images online and modified them to suit my theme, in a way it became a photo bash piece. I did make my own buttons for the piece and gave them a wooden like effect, they also look like that water is reflecting off them which does connect with the theme. To do the buttons I created a solid brown coloured rectangle. Used the layer styles to edit, I used the different glow and shadow properties to gain the 3D look. From there I added a worn effect using a textured brush and edited with the overlay effects and layer styles. I then downloaded a suitable font that matched, it was called ‘Trade Winds’.

Downloaded here: http://www.1001fonts.com/trade-winds-font.html

On Tuesday, I continued with the piece and added some other elements. I added a character, if this was in a real game the character can have clothing and weapons added to them in real time. The character can also be rotated by clicking with the mouse on the rotate logo at the bottom of the character. Also, the character would be animated slightly as well in game, such as when a piece of clothing is selected for the character they would react to it. The 3D model of the character was found online. I think it fits the style I wanted perfectly. The game is aimed at teens onwards and is a cartoon implemented. I also added a logo of a flag behind the character this shows what team the player is on, it’s the logo for the team. I added Chains to the piece which hangs the inventory title. When the player is navigating this area when they click on the chains a different tab title will slide into view. 

By the end of Wednesday, I would have liked to of finished this task but due to being home this week for independent study week and having doctor’s appointments all my time could not be set on the task, I could only get parts done here and there, which was a shame as I would of liked to of continued with my Zbrush Character also this week, but still I wanted to do the best I could for this task and I am happy with the results so far.

On Wednesday, I added a shelf piece this holds all of the inventory items and information needed about the item and the item level. The shelf was made by using the same wooden plank image, the same as the border of this piece. I added different lighting and shadow effects by using the layer styles. When the player selects the item, they want it will appear with an outline highlighting the icon, this gives the player knowledge that it has been selected. I also added by the character a compass that illustrates the characters current level. 

On Thursday by the evening the menu was completed. I added a scroll to show the characters stats. I added an easy to use upgrading system. To upgrade, the player has the option to click on the left or right arrows on the sides of the anchor to add points if the player has enough to do so. When adding points, the numbed text on the left-hand side will change. I added a few other touches for details and to fill out the menu. Overall, I am happy with the result, I like the style and I believe it’s easy enough to pilot and understand without having to use much text. For a first attempt at UI design I am happy, this art test has also given me some practice for my final UI menu I will be producing for my current project that will represent my robot character model. 

Below I will show the PDF I had to put together to present this art test.