Design for 3D Environments
This project is from my dissertation in my Design and Digital Media Master’s program, called
“How to Design a Witches Forest.”
Project Brief :
This project is an exploration in environmental and atmosphere design. I aimed to recreate the environment based on a particular scene in the modern gothic novel, In the House in the Dark of the Woods, where Goody, the protagonist, has gotten lost and is searching for help in a dark and strange forest. My aim was to make it an impactful experience, where player’s may feel the same emotions as the protagonist and readers.
Research & Development
My aim for this project was to also understand how environmental designers use story narratives and then develop them into a digital world in ways that are cohesive to the storyline, and fill in the “blanks” of the story through the world building in the environment. What does the environment or world the game takes place in tell us ( the player) about what kind of game we’re playing, how does it support the narrative of the game, and how can the environment instruct us on how to play the game and notice what the limitations or game mechanics are? How does it guide us on how to feel? (nostalgic, scared, curious, excited, empathetic) etc..
My research began with understanding what makes an environment a method of storytelling in film, literature and games, as well as understanding how atmosphere also plays a role in storytelling. Then, after a thorough analysis of the research, I began to design the landscape and 3d models, based off of my research into the practical work of artists, illustrators, and photographer’s whose speciality was in design for gothic horror and fiction.
Design Methodology
As for the designs of this project, I wanted the entire experience to have a dark and unfriendly tone. I also wanted there to be a feeling of unease, with a tense feeling of being watched as players watched and looked around the environment. However, I didn’t want the environment’s atmosphere to feel as if they were in a horror game like Silent Hill, but something akin to LIMBO, where the horror is a bit more implied and minimalistic since everything in this game was designed in black, white and shades of gray.
Most importantly, I referenced brief descriptions of the forest from the In the House in the Dark of the Woods for the environment’s design in combination with my forest inspiration for Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999). In the movie, where feelings of unease of the forest were not because of any overt displays horror or any other graphic scenes of carnage and gore, but it was the mood, lighting, and staging of the forest
The witches houses I took a lot of creative liberty on, there wasn’t too much description of what the houses looked like in the book, so I decided that they would take on a bit of a caricature of what a witches house is supposed to look like. So, I took inspiration from the houses by modeling them after Tim Burton style houses and art. I added emissions to the windows, a bright white color that would entice players to walk toward the light, as they would see the light first at a far distance as a signpost in the environment. I also made these houses the complete opposite to each other in style and personality, same how it was in the book as well in order to show they were different people and equally a different kind of dangerous.
I added the forest spirits (or monster, whatever someone may consider them to be) to the environment that surrounds the three main sections of the digital environment. I designed these creatures to be as vague of a shape as possible, only intended for them to be seen from far away, and high above the environment on top of the hills. The watchful presence, in combination with the creepy ambient horror sounds added to the unsettling nature of the atmosphere I designed. When players begin the game, the creature's eyes are upon you, and there’s no real escape from under the gaze.