Project Coliseum
Intro
Coliseum is a next-gen game for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles. The game takes place in ancient Rome, in the midst of the biggest Gladiatorial games in history. The game takes ideas from Spartacus and Gladiator. The game will be very realistic and blood and gore will be rife. The story line will follow the main protagonist Gaius Acadius, as he fights and gains glory in the arena. The game starts with you training in a Ludus. The player doesn't know why he's there, but this is revealed to the player as the game progresses in flashback sequences. The player then fights his way up through various arenas and fights. The player earns gold for his achievements, which he can then use to buy new weapons, armour and other items. The player can also take part in other activities, such as chariot racing. The game reveals that Gaius used to gamble. He got into a lot of debt and was wanted by powerful people, so Gaius has to enter the world of the gladiator to earn fame and fortune.
Aims and Objectives
The main aim for this project is to concentrate more on the main character designs and production. I would want to produce at least 3 main characters, each with weapons and armour. The art direction will be very realitsic, with the gore element being slightly unrealistic. I would produce a lot of concept art and mood paintings to create the right atmosphere and feel. I would use Zbrush to model the characters, to achieve the most detail I could. If possible, I would also like to create a section of the coliseum which I could place the characters in. This would be very hard to do in the time scale. For me, I enjoy character art much more than environment art. So they would be top priority. The main audience for the game would be adult males over the age of 18, due to the increased amount of violence and gore.
The main art direction, as I said, very realistic. The main colours will reflect the golden age of the Roman empire, with lots of gold and red tones. The aim will be to create a contrast between the perfectly cut stone and glorious empire and the gore and blood that takes place in the arena. I will try to produce as much art as I can, as this is where my true passion lies.
Gameplay Mechanics
The game will use various features and mechanics to make it more enjoyable for the player. The main feature is of course the fighting element, with the player taking part in hundreds of different fights. They will range in difficulty, opponents and objectives. For example, the player may have to fight a much harder opponent, earning him more money and fame. Fame, will play a big part in the game. The more the player fights, and wins, the more fame the player gets. More fame equals more prize money. Gold is very important in the game. Not only does it allow the player to buy new equipment, but also bet and barter there way through. The player can also bribe certain people in order to fix matches, or stack the odds in his favor. There will also be a dialog interface that allows the player to interact with other characters in the game. Creating strong friendships and rivalries will also play a big part. With recurring characters making an appearance. There will be several main stages to the game. These will include training stages, where the player can enhance his skills to fight better, interacting in the Ludus, where the player has free movement inside the confines of the Ludus walls. You can interact with other gladiators, do small jobs for people, like threatening other gladiators, and buying the equipment. There will be the normal fighting stages, against varying amounts and types of opponents, and boss fighting stages, where the player will fight opponents of outstanding skill, to win more money and even unique equipment. The fighting mechanics will be very fluid, and allow the player to string attacks, counters and block together to create seamless fighting. Violent finishing moves will also be available for the player, depending on what weapon he uses.
Software
Here is a list of all the software I may need to use in order to complete the project successfully.
Concepting
-Photoshop
-Painter
Modeling
-3Ds Max
-Zbrush
Texturing
-XNormal
-Photoshop
Rendering
-UDK [Unreal Development Kit]
-Marmoset Engine
-Photoshop
Checklist and Specifications
Here is a list of all the planned elements for my project.
Concepting stage
-As much concept and design work as possible including
-Character design
-Environment design
-Prop and equipment design
-Mood paintings
Main characters [These are the characters I will produce for the project]
Gaius Acadius [Main playable character]
12,000 triangles
full rig
2 x 2048 diffuse, specular and normal map [main body and head]
Titus Jovian [Gladiator trainer]
9,000 triangles
full rig
2 x 2048 diffuse, specular and normal map [main body and head]
Verus [Final gladiator boss]
10,000 triangles
full rig
2 x 2048 diffuse, specular and normal map [main body and head]
Roman spectator [Female]
level 1 LOD
5000 triangles
partial rig
2 x 1024 diffuse, specular and normal map [main body and head]
level 2 LOD
2000 triangles
partial rig
2 x 512 diffuse, specular and normal map [main body and head]
Weapons
Gladius [Roman short sword]
1500 triangles
1 x 1024 diffuse, specular and normal map
Spatha {Long broadsword]
1500 triangles
1 x 1024 diffuse, specular and normal map
Fascina [Trident]
1500 triangles
1 x 1024 diffuse, specular and normal map
Lancea [Spear]
1500 triangles
1 x 1024 diffuse, specular and normal map
Pugnum [Small shield]
1500 triangles
1 x 1024 diffuse, specular and normal map
These specifications are very rough and more research is needed to fully complete a comprehensive list, but this is a good outline.
So there you have it. My first attempt to write a comprehensive brief for myself. I actually really like the idea, so this may even be what I create for my final project.
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